Digimon Beginnings
by NoRatCat
Summary: Long before the events of Digimon Adventure, the Digital World is in danger. Five ordinary children are chosen to save it and face their destiny. The tale of the original digidestined. Chapter 59 up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon all the rights belong to Toei. Also I would like to thank my editor. I'll accept corrective criticism.

Digimon Beginnings:

It was the last week of summer. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. Today was a perfect example of tranquility. A teenage boy sat on a hill at a nearby summer camp. The sunlight reflected off the lenses of his circular, silver rimmed goggles, which he wore over his sandy brown hair. His name of was Kazuya Miyamoto. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, a blue undershirt and a bright red jacket. He sighed as he enjoyed the scenery around him.

"Kazuya!" a voice rang out from behind the boy, causing him to flinch.

"So this is where you were."

He turned around with an annoyed look on his face. He knew who the source of the voice was.

It was a girl around his age. She had long, light-colored hair and a purple skirt and a lavender shirt. What made her really stand out though, were her thick glasses. Kazuya was all too familiar with her. After all she was his best friend, Sakura Kodira.

"Oh, hi Sakura." Kazuya said, nonchalantly.

"Everyone is getting ready get on the bus and you still haven't gotten your backpack ready." She said putting her hands on her hips.

"All right I'm going. Man you're as bad as my sister." he said, as they walked off towards the cabin.

Ever since they were little kids, Sakura was always scolding Kazuya if he was goofing off. Despite that he was glad to have her as a friend.

Just as they stopped at the cabin, they noticed a gothic looking boy with the same colored hair as Sakura's waiting there.

His name was Chiisi Kodiro and he was Sakura's younger cousin. He was dressed in a black shirt, a pair of black pants, and a belt.

"Chiisi shouldn't you be on the bus?" Sakura asked her cousin.

"The counselors sent me hear to get the rest of our group." He explained, in an almost emotionless voice.

"They never showed up"

"Oh, great where could those two be?" Sakura said

"Knowing Jun, she's probably tormenting Sho" Kazuya said.

"Why don't we check out the woods?" Chiisi suggested.

The three of them left towards the woods and sure enough, they stumbled upon a teenage girl holding a teenage boy against a tree, right at the entrance to the woods. Their names were Sho Sanbara and Jun Asuka. Sho was tall and very skinny. He had long black hair and his skin was rather tan colored. He was dressed in a blue hooded jacket without any sleeves, a green long sleeved shirt, and with a pair of brown pants. His face was bunched up in fear as the girl stared back at him

"Please. I'll p-pay you when I get home." He stuttered.

This caused the girl to grab him tighter.

Jun simply glared and said. "Look Sanbara, I promised to leave you alone as long as you paid me and I want my money."

Jun was by all means a bully. She was tall and very pretty. She had short blue hair which was kept short. She was dressed in a pair of jeans cut into shorts and a white tank top. Her left ear was pierced and she wore a maroon hat atop her head.

"Hey, let him go." a voice rang out causing the Jun to let go of Sho.

"Oh great it's you Miyamoto." She said, with annoyance in her voice.

"Don't you better things to do than pick on people?" Kazuya asked.

"Want to make something of it goggle boy?" Jun said, intentionally trying to provoke Kazuya.

"Where did you get those dumb things? In the trash?"

"Take that back" Kazuya said, tensing up.

"They were a gift from my father."

Sakura rushed in between the two in order to break up a possible fight.

"Both of you, stop it." She said.

"We have to get back to the bus"

Jun simply put her hand in her pockets and said, "All right"

"Hey, Sanbara I'll expect you to pay me double when we get back."

Sho's face tensed up as the others helped him up.

The five of them then started to head back towards the bus. Then, Chiisi suddenly stopped, as he seemed to notice something.

"Look." he said pointing up towards the sky.

Everyone looked up and they noticed n the distance there were five lights.

"What is that?" Kazuya asked, as he gazed up.

As they gazed they noticed that the lights were getting bigger. Soon they realized that they were rushing towards the earth. Before they could react, the five lights went into the hands of the children.

All five of them looked at what had landed in their hands.

They were small colored devices no bigger than their fists. Kazuya's was red, Sho's was orange, Jun's was blue, Chiisi's was black, and Sakura's was white. There were three buttons on them and a screen in the middle. Around the screen was some kind of code.

"What do you think these are?" Sakura asked, looking at her device.

Sho shook his and said "I don't know."

Suddenly the devices began to beep and soon a light emerged from them and engulfed the children.

"Great, what next?!" Jun exclaimed as they were engulfed in a sea of one's and zeros. That was the last thing they saw.

The next thing Kazuya knew he was in some kind of chamber. He franticly looked around. "Where am I?" He said, looking around the room. It appeared as if he was in some kind of temple.

"Sakura, Chiisi!" he shouted.

As he called for his friends, he then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. At the end of the chamber was an egg. It was nestled in some sort of pedestal. Curiously he walked up towards it.

"What's an egg doing here?" He muttered.

It was larger than a normal egg. Also, it had a green stripes on it. Something inside him was telling him to pick it up, so he did.

He winced as he picked it up, expecting some giant ball to come rolling at him.

Just then Kazuya heard a sound coming from the egg. He then put his ear to the egg.

"Is this a heartbeat?"

Just then, the beating got louder. Kazuya gasped as the egg began to crack. As it cracked a blinding light engulfed the room.

"Not this again." he said, as he was drowned in the light.

XXX

"Ugh, my head." Kazuya said as he groggily got up.

Just as he sat up, he was then knocked down.

"Your finally here." A voice said, as Kazuya was knocked down.

Staring back at Kazuya was a talking rabbit.

"Hi" he said

"AGGHH" Kazuya screamed in response, as he knocked the creature off of him.

"What did ya do that for?" The creature shouted.

The creature looked like a rabbit, except it had a tail like a lions with a black band at the end. It had yellow eyes and scruffy gray fur. Judging from its voice, it was a male.

"Y-You're a talking rabbit." Kazuya said, pointing at the creature.

"Actually, I'm a digimon." The creature said getting up.

"Digimon?" Kazuya said.

"Yep. It's short for digital monster and I'm your partner. The name's Gazimon." He said as he leapt onto Kazuya's chest.

Kazuya immediately stood up and asked, "Okay. Where am I? What's with all of this partner talk?"

This is the Digital World." Gazimon said.

Kazuya then looked at his surroundings. It appeared he was in some kind of canyon. Other than that the sky and sun were the same.

"As for the partner thing, well, you let me out of the egg so I'm yours." Gazimon said happily.

"That egg was you?" Kazuya said, taken aback

"Yep and also you have the digivice." Gazimon said pointing at Kazuya's waist.

Kazuya looked to where the digimon was pointing and sure enough the device from earlier was strapped to his waist.

"You mean this thing?" he said. He then casually pushed one of the buttons on the digivice. The screen on it then displayed five colored blips. They were red, orange, blue, black and white. He figured that he was the red blip.

"Then I guess that means…" Kazuya began.

Before he could further question the creature, Kazuya was startled to hear a scream.

"Ahh, get away from me!" a male voice shouted.

"That sounded like Sho!" Kazuya said, running towards the voice.

"Wait up!" Gazimon shouted, running after Kazuya.

Sure enough, it was Sho. He was on the ground trying to get away from a dog digimon that was latched onto his leg. It had golden creamy fur and it's tail and ears had pink fur.

"That was fun. What are we gonna play next?" It said, in a female voice.

"Please don't eat me." Sho whimpered.

"You're silly. I'm not going to eat you." she said, giggling. Her stomach then growled.

"I'm hungry. Do you have any goodies on you?" She asked, drooling a bit.

"Hey Sho." Kazuya called.

Sho turned and smiled as he saw the goggle-headed boy.

"Whew. Thank god. Another human." he said, relieved. He then took a look at Gazimon.

"Oh great. Another one." Sho said.

"Hang on. These guys aren't going to hurt us." said Kazuya.

"He's right. I would never hurt you. Sho-chan." The digimon said, as she rubbed her head against Sho's Leg.

"By the way. I'm Labramon and were going to be great partners." she said, batting her eyes.

"What's going on here?" Sho asked.

"Well…" Kazuya began.

4 minutes later…..

"And that's it." Kazuya said, finishing his story.

"This can't be happening." Sho said, as he fell to his knees.

"Look, it's going to be alright." Kazuya said.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this?" asked Sho.

"Were in some strange world and there's a talking rabbit and dog"

"Well, it could be worse" Kazuya said.

"How could this possibly be any worse?" Sho asked

Unfortunately, he was about to get his answer.

"Nova Blast!" A loud voice rang out through the canyon.

The two boys and the digimon turned to see a giant fireball coming towards them.

"Look out!" Gazimon and Labramon said, as they pushed their partners out of the way.

The four of them looked up to see their attacker. It was a large, orange dinosaur digimon. The top of its head was brown plated with three horns jutting out from its head. It's eyes shone bright red as it growled.

"What is that thing?" Kazuya asked.

"That's Greymon." Gazimon said.

"But something's wrong. They don't usually act like this."

"Your right he smells strange" Labramon said, sniffing.

Greymon then looked at the two boys with hunger in his eyes.

"I don't like the way he's looking at us." Sho said.

Just as he took a step Gazimon stood up, and braced himself for an attack.

"You three get out of here. I'll handle him." Gazimon said.

"But he'll kill you." Kazuya said.

"Don't worry about me. I can take him." Gazimon said arrogantly.

"Get them out of here Labramon!"

"You bet, Come on let's go." Labramon said, as she lead the two boys away.

Greymon looked on at the two boys and the digimon as fired another Nova Blast.

"Look out!" Sho shouted, as they jumped out of the way.

"Back off!" Gazimon shouted.

"Electric Stun Blast!" he shouted, sending out a stream of electricity.

The attack hit Greymon but it, only seemed to anger him.

"Heh, so I finally got your attention." Gazimon said smirking.

"Bring it on, you big lizard!"

Greymon then smacked Gazimon with his tail, sending the small digimon crashing into the canyon wall.

"Is that it?" Gazimon said, a little dazed.

Greymon then advanced on Gazimon.

"Leave him alone!" Kazuya shouted, as he started to run towards the reptile digimon.

"Are you crazy?" Sho said, grabbing onto Kazuya's shoulder.

"But I have to help him."

Kazuya then broke free of Sho's grasp and picked up a nearby rock. He then ran towards the reptile digimon.

"Hey over here!" he shouted, as he threw the rock.

Greymon then turned towards the boy.

"Kazuya, what are you doing? I told you to get out of here!" Gazimon said.

"And leave you behind?"

Greymon roared at Kazuya.

"_Maybe this wasn't such a great idea_" Kazuya thought.

"Nova Blast" Greymon shouted, as he sent one at the frightened boy.

"Kazuya!" Gazimon shouted. Just then the digivice on Kazuya's waist began to glow and so did Gazimon.

"**Gazimon Evolve, Genkimon!**" he shouted, as his data rearranged and altered his form.

Kazuya then looked up at Gazimons new form. Gazimon now appeared humanoid and was tall as an adult human. His body appeared lean and somewhat muscular. The muscles could be seen beneath his grey fur. His ears had become longer and floppy and now they hung down against his back. His tail had become longer as well, the black bands at the end of his tail were missing and the tips of his tail were more defined and wild looking. The black band had become a belt that held up his pair of white pants. Similer black bands could be found on his arms. He wore a silver chest plate across his broad chest which also extended into silver shoulder pads that perfectly fit his shoulders. On his hands he wore silver gauntlets which exposed his now humanoid fingers. On his feet he wore a pair of matching silver boots. To finish his ensemble he wore a silver colored face mask. The mask only covered the front of his face, exposing his eyes nose and mouth. His eyes were no longer yellow but blue.

"Gazimon is that you?" Kazuya asked, looking up at him in awe.

"Yep it's me." He said. His voice sounded older and bold.

"Stand back. I'll take care of this creep."

Sho was watching this with amazement.

"What happened to him?" Sho asked.

"He evolved into Genkimon." Labramon said.

"Let's finish this." Genkimon said, as he stood ready.

Greymon simply growled and lunged at him. Genkimon simply dodged the attack, causing Greymon to get a mouthful of gravel.

"Is that it?" Genkimon questioned.

"Come on, I was right in front of you."

Greymon growled and launched another Nova Blast.

Genkimon simply yawned and said "I'll make this quick."

"Genki Rush!" he shouted, as he was surrounded in a blue aura.

He then flew strait into Greymon's attack, dissipating it.

Greymon had shocked look on his face, as Genkimon ran straight into his neck.

The large digimon then fell back with a strangled groan. He then deleted leaving only a small, black, pulsing ball. It then simply broke apart into nothingness.

"All right!" Kazuya shouted.

"They did it! They did it!" Labramon yipped happily, as she jumped up and down.

"I can't wait to evolve for you, Sho-chan!" she said, nuzzling Sho.

Genkimon then flew down and his form glowed, as it shrank into Gazimon.

"That was awesome!" Kazuya shouted as he grabbed Gazimon.

"I was, wasn't I?" Gazimon said proudly.

Sho simply looked at Gazimon and Kazuya as they exclaimed towards each other.

"This is going to be a very interesting summer." He said.

XXX

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, a dark figure was watching them.

"So one has already evolved?" he said.

"Hmm…. no matter."

"Snimon. Go take care of the other three humans." He said.

"They should still be wandering in the canyon"

The digimon then flew off after receiving its orders.

"Once I take care of those kids, the others should be very pleased." He said with a chuckle.

To be continued….


	2. Chapter 2

Well here is chapter 2. Thanks to my editor I was finally able to come up with a good draft.

The wind flowed through Sakura's hair, as she gazed up at the sky. She was thinking about the events that had transpired.

"Is something wrong, Sakura?" a female voice asked her.

"No. I'm fine, Fairydramon." Sakura said.

Fairydramon looked like a dragon. She had emerald scales which adorned her body. She also had two fairy wings on her back and a pair of antennae on her head.

Even though they had just met a few hours ago, Sakura felt safe around Fairydramon. At first Sakura was scared when she woke up to find a talking dragon. But that soon faded, after Fairydramon told her she would protect her.

"We should go soon. It's getting dark." The digimon said.

"Heh, what's wrong with a little darkness?" A male voice asked.

Sakura and Fairydramon watched, as Chiisi came walking by with a digimon perched on his shoulder. He looked almost like a bat. He was ball shaped and he wore a mask over his head.

"Well, unlike you DemiDevimon, I don't enjoy getting attacked by wild digimon." Fairydramon said.

"All I'm saying is that a little danger never hurt anyone." He replied.

"I hope they're alright." Sakura said.

"I don't see why we should be looking for Miyamoto and Sanbara." Jun said.

Trailing behind her was a small, blue, penguin digimon. His name was Penguinmon. A timid look was on his face as he stayed close to the girl's leg.

"J-Jun, that's not nice." Penguinmon said, timidly.

"Shut up." She said harshly, causing the small digimon to flinch.

"Hey, you sure your cousin and I didn't get our digimon switched? Jun asked.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'm sure they're fine." Fairydramon said, trying to comfort the girl.

"I hope you're right." Sakura said, looking at the slowly setting sun.

XXX

"We passed this rock before." Kazuya said.

After Greymon was defeated, Kazuya, Gazimon, Sho and Labramon had decided to look for Sakura and the others. This was easier said than done, as the further they got into the canyon, the more maze-like it became.

"Well this is perfect. We're lost." Kazuya said.

"Don't worry. If anything comes our way, I'll take care of it." Gazimon said, smugly.

"Yeah, I'm worrying too much." Kazuya said, as he remembered Genkimon's victory over Greymon.

"Still, I hope Sakura and the others are okay."

"So, is this Sakura your girlfriend or something?" Gazimon asked.

"No, she's my best friend." Kazuya said.

"Is she pretty?" Gazimon asked.

"W-Well yeah I guess." Kazuya said, as his face turned slightly red.

"Then I guess it means she's free." Gazimon said, smirking.

"She's human you know." Kazuya said.

"Your point being?" Gazimon asked.

Kazuya simply sweat-dropped after hearing that comment.

Sho on the other hand was having a simpler conversation with his digimon.

Ever since they had tried to find their way out of the canyon, Labramon had bantered him with questions about the human world. Sho noticed that most of her questions revolved around food.

"Tell me more about this sushi." Labramon said, as her mouth watered.

"Don't you want to talk about something other than food?" Sho asked.

"Okay, let's talk about you Sho-chan." She said, a bit seductively.

"Um, on second thought, let's go back to talking about food." He said.

"Okay!" She replied happily.

Before she could revel more in her gluttony, a shadow flew over them.

"What was that?" Kazuya asked.

Labramon tensed up.

"There's that smell again." She said.

"Everyone follow me."

Kazuya, Gazimon, and Sho then ran after her

XXX

As Snimon flew, he could sense the ones that had defeated Greymon earlier. He chose to ignore them.

Although he was compelled to attack them while they were vulnerable, his master's orders were to attack the others.

With a grunt, he flew on, as he caught the scent of his victims. His claws would slice through fresh, young, human flesh.

XXX

"DAMMIT! How big is this canyon supposed to be?!" Jun shouted.

"It just goes on and on."

"This is rather repetitive." Chiisi said.

Just then, the sound of buzzing could be heard and from out of nowhere, Snimon descended.

"Is that a giant praying mantis?" Sakura asked.

"It's Snimon." Fairydramon said.

All three digimon could tell he wanted to kill.

"Sakura, stay behind me." Fairydramon said.

"Finally some action." DemiDevimon said, with a smirk.

Penguinmon simply stood in front of Jun.

"Don't w-worry Jun. I'll p-protect you." He said as he quivered with fear.

"Twin Sickle!" Snimon cried, sending out a wave of purple energy from his scythe-like arms.

Fairydramon and DemiDevimon quickly dodged out of the way while Penguinmon simply stood there.

"Fairy Flame!" Fairydramon shouted, as she spat out a fireball.

The Fireball hit Snimon, forming a burn.

"Demi Dart!" DemiDevimon shouted, as he threw a small syringe.

DemiDevimon snickered as he saw Snimon feebly try to pick it out.

"This is so incredible." Sakura said awed.

"You don't see this everyday." Chiisi said.

"Aren't you going to fight?" Jun questioned her digimon.

"Well, I think it'd be best if I got you someplace safe." Penguinmon said.

"You weak little coward! Show some backbone!" Jun shouted.

"But, he's scary." Penguinmon muttered.

While Jun was disgusted with her digimon's cowardice, Fairydramon and DemiDevimon continued battling Snimon. Their attacks didn't seem to wear him down, however.

"Nothing's working!" Fairydramon shouted.

"Well, he is a champion and we're just rookies." DemiDevimon replied.

"But, his strength seems unnatural."

"Twin Sickle!" Snimon cried, as he launched the attack directly at the ground.

Both Fairydramon and DemiDevimon were hit by the erupted debris.

"Damn! Cheap shot." DemiDevimon muttered.

"Fairydramon!" Sakura shouted. Just as she was about to rush to her digimon, Snimon lunged at her.

Sakura was frozen in fear as Snimon's scythe-like arm was inches away from her face. If he could smile then his face would have a sadistic grin as he looked at the girl.

"Get away from her!" shouted Fairydramon. But, just as she took a step forward, Snimon edged his scythe closer to Sakura's face.

Fairydramon stopped, knowing that any move she made would endanger her partner's life.

Then, Snimon raised his other arm and prepared to make the killing move.

Just then, Fairydramon felt a surge of power flowing within her.

"Electric Stun Blast!" Gazimon cried.

The attack distracted Snimon. Fairydramon quickly ran to Sakura and pulled her out of the way.

"Hey Sakura, you okay?" Kazuya shouted to his friend.

"Kazuya!" Sakura shouted happily.

"It's a good thing Kazuya distracted him." Chiisi said.

"_Although it would have been interesting to see some blood_." DemiDevimon thought to himself.

Snimon sensed the new pests. He would make them pay for ruining his kill.

"He looks mad." Sho said.

"Don't worry. Genkimon will handle this guy." Kazuya said.

"You ready Gazimon?" he said, holding up his digivice.

"Yep." Gazimon replied.

"**Gazimon Evolve! Gazimon?**" Instead of Genkimon, Gazimon still stood there.

"What didn't you evolve?!" Kazuya asked frantically.

"I guess I don't have enough energy." Gazimon said sheepishly.

Penguinmon and Jun had been watching all of this take place. They had been relatively silent until now. "Don't worry, Jun. I'll protect you." Penguinmon said.

Jun could see that he was shaking. "Oh wonderful. I feel so relieved." She said, sarcastically.

Although she was being sarcastic, she knew that they were all doomed.

"So, this is how it ends?" Sakura asked herself.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." Said Fairydramon.

Snimon knew they felt helpless and he was enjoying it.

Just as he was about to move in for the kill, a figure landed in front of him.

"What now?" Sho said. The other digimon tensed up at this new digimon. Well except Penguinmon, who was still shaking in fear.

The new digimon was tall and huminoid. He looked like a human and a dinosaur rolled into one. The one thing that set him apart was the large sword he carried on his back.

Snimon hissed angrily, as he tried to slice the digimon, but he simply dodged the attack.

"Twin Sickle!" Snimon cried.

The digimon simply jumped into the air and before he could react, the mystery digimon's sword bore down on him.

Snimon then deleted, as he was sliced in half. In the midst of the data, a small black ball could be seen. The ball then deleted along with Snimon.

The digimon simply looked at the children.

"Please don't be afraid. I don't wish to harm you." He said.

The children and the digimon were both relieved and confused at the same time.

"My name is DinoHumon." He said.

"If you want to know why you are here in this world, then come with me."

To be continued…..


	3. Chapter 3

Well it has been months since I posted a new chapter. Now that my assignments are done, I can post more.

The sun had finally set in the canyon. There were no signs of life save for a few. The five children and their digimon were following Dinohumon, the digimon that had saved them from Snimon. At first they were wary of this newcomer since the past two digimon except their own had tried to kill them. The only reason they had followed him was because he promised that he would tell them why they were here in this world.

"Hey, are you sure you sure we can trust this guy?" Kazuya asked.

"Well he said he did help us." Sakura said.

"Well that could have been just a trick." Kazuya said.

"Sakura is right." Fairydramon said.

"Don't worry ladies. If anything happens I'll take care of you." Gazimon said, as he put his hand on Fairydramon. She then glared at him.

XXX

Far away from where the children were, a mysterious figure was fuming that his plan was ruined.

"Damn it all!" he shouted.

"It seems Snimon was too weak."

"If Dinohumon hadn't come in, then those brats would have been nothing but corpses now.

"I'll have to bring in something stronger." He said.

XXX

Dinohumon had led the group for a quite a while. Finally they had come to a stop.

"Where're here." Dinohumon said to them. In front of them was a cave near the edge of the canyon.

"Come inside." Dinohumon said as he entered the cave.

Reluctantly the children followed him inside.

"I still say this is some kind of trap." Kazuya said.

"I agree with Kazuya." said Sho.

"This is too suspicious."

"But he doesn't smell funny." Labramon said.

Sho and Kazuya looked at her questionably.

"What do you mean?" Sho asked.

"The other two digimon had a funny scent. Dinohumon smells normal." Labramon said.

"What are you still doing out here!? Hurry inside" Dinohumon shouted inside the cave

The children and the digimon then hurried inside the cave. They then entered a large bare chamber. Dinohumon sat in the center of the room.

"You have questions as too why you are here?" Dinohumon said.

"Look lizard just tell us why were here." Jun said, angrily.

Dinohumon sighed and said "Very well."

"The Digital World is in peril." Dinohumon began

"A sickness has been spreading through the land, corrupting any digimon who comes in contact with it."

"Once infected they become wild and feral, a mere shell of their former selves."

"What does this have to do with us?" asked Kazuya.

"You have been chosen to save this world." Dinohumon said.

"What!" The five of them said in unison.

"What makes you think we were chosen?" Chiisi asked.

"You five have the digivices." said Dinohumon.

"That is proof you are the digidestined."

"Digidestined?" That sounds like a corny super hero group name." said Jun.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I have to agree with Jun." said Kazuya.

The others looked at Kazuya as if he was crazy.

Kazuya saw this and said. "It's just that I really doubt we can do this, I mean were just kids."

"Your self doubt is expected." Dinohumon said.

"But know that you five were brought here because you each have qualities that made you chosen."

Sakura then yawned. "Oh I'm sorry." She said.

"I've prepared beds for you." Dinohumon said

He then led them to a separate room with five mats set out on the floor.

The five of them had a lot on their mind, especially Sakura. It was not everyday that you were whisked to another world.

"Well I'm beat." Kazuya said

"Same here" Gazimon replied

"How can you think about sleeping?" Sho asked.

"A talking lizard just told us were supposed to save the world!" he said frantically. "The whole thing sounds crazy!"

"Well crazy or not we should get some rest." Sakura said.

"Auggh you're just as bad as him!" Sho said exasperated.

"Don't you worry Sho-chan." Labramon said happily, as she put her head against his. If any bad guys come after you I'll protect you!"

Gazimon then crept up close to Fairydramon.

"You know I'll protect you if any comes after you." Gazimon said, as he stroked Fairydramon's tail.

Gazimon looked frightened as he saw smoke trickling out of the corner of her mouth.

"Fairy Flame!" She shouted, as they attack engulfed Gazimon.

Gazimon fell back on the floor. His fur was singed and he was twitching.

"Gazimon!" Kazuya cried.

"Don't worry he's still alive." Fairydramon said.

"Unfortunately." She said under her breath.

XXX

Hours had passed since the children and their digimon had passed into blissful slumber.

Before Sakura went to sleep, she had a lot on her mind.

Although she acted calm. Inside she felt a great uncertainty. Part of her wished it could go back to the simpler days when it was just she, Kazuya and Chiisi. She then drifted off to sleep.

XXX

_All around Sakura was darkness. It scared her as she felt it creeping closer. Just then, a bright flash of light dissipated the darkness. Sakura then saw a figure walking towards her. The figure was dressed in a white hooded robe. Judging from its size, it appeared to be a child. The hood concealed its face. _

"_Hello Sakura." The figure said, in a female voice._

"_Who are you?" Sakura asked._

"_I guess you could say I am one of the overseers of this world."_

"_What was that?" Sakura asked, referring to the darkness._

"_That represented the evil that is threatening this world." The hooded girl said._

_Signs of worry started to show on Sakura's face. "Is it really that great?" she asked._

"_Yes but you and the others are the only ones to stop it." The girl said._

"_That's exactly what Dinohumon said." Sakura retorted._

"_Yet you still have doubts." The girl said. "There will be challenges ahead, but even in darkness, there is always light._

_Then Sakura woke up._

XXX

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Fairydramon was lying down beside her. Kazuya and Sho seemed to be having a peaceful sleep.

Gazimon was soundly sleeping as well, his arms in legs were in a flailed position. "Heh Fairydramon-chan." He said, as some drool trickled out of the corner of his lips.

Labramon was laying her head atop of Sho's chest. "Oh Sho-chan fifty's my limit, well maybe just a few more pieces."

Chiisi and DemiDevimon were simply having a peacefully sleeping.

As she looked at Jun's mat, she noticed it was empty. Neither Jun or Penquinmon were there.

"Fairydramon wake up!" she said, shaking her partner but quietly as too not wake the others.

"Hmm whaa." She said groggily.

Fairydramon noticed the look of urgency on her partners face. "What's wrong Sakura?" she asked.

"Jun and Penquinmon are missing." Said Sakura

XXX

Meanwhile just a distance from the Dinohumon's cave, Jun was walking along with Penguinmon trailing behind.

"Jun wait!" He yelled.

"I don't see why you're following me." Jun said.

"I'm your digimon and it's my job to protect you." Penguinmon replied

"Yeah right, you can't even protect yourself." Jun scoffed.

XXX

Meanwhile the same mysterious figure was watching Jun and Penguinmon.

"Perfect." He said to himself.

"One of them has strayed from the others."

"Jun!" a female voice called.

The figure turned to see Sakura and Fairydramon running towards Jun and Penguinmon.

"Well it looks like my job has gotten easier."

XXX

Jun turned to see Sakura and Fairydramon running up towards her and Penquinmon.

"What do you want?" Jun asked.

"You should come back it's dangerous out here." said Sakura.

"I'll be fine by myself." Jun said.

"But you heard what Dinohumon told us."

"Look I don't want to save any worlds!" Jun spat.

"That dork Sanbara was right, this is too much for us."

"Besides that cousin of yours creeps me out."

"Chiisi's not creepy he's just different." Sakura said.

"Well whatever."

Fairydramon suddenly tensed up. "Something's coming." She said.

Just then, the ground began to shake. Suddenly a hole opened up beneath their feet.

Sakura screamed as she fell, into the darkness but just as they fell, they landed.

"Ow." Sakura said, getting up. "Is everyone alright?" she asked the others.

"Yes I'm fine." Fairydramon said.

"Where are we?" Jun asked.

They looked around and noticed that they were in some sort of tunnel.

"I wonder what dug this." Said Sakura.

"I really don't give a damn about that, how are we going to get out of here?" Jun asked.

"Maybe there's a way out further ahead." Sakura said. The four of them then started to walk, after a good distance, they stepped into a rather large chamber.

"Wow this is big." Sakura exclaimed.

"Well well you finally arrived." A voice cackled.

Out of an adjoining pathway, a figure stepped out. From its appearance, it looked like a red devil. It had wings, horns and a long nose. It carried a pitchfork in its right hand.

Fairydramon and Penquinmon stood in front of Sakura and Jun defensively.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

"That's Boogeymon, a demon type digimon." Fairydramon said.

"That's Boogeymon-sama to you!" Boogeymon said angrily.

"I was waiting for the right moment to strike and you two walked right into my trap." He said confidently.

"Wouldn't have been better to get us while we were sleeping?" Jun asked.

"Huh?" Boogeymon said confused.

"I mean it would have made more sense to kill us while we were really vulnerable." Jun said.

"Shut up, don't question my brilliant planning!" Boogeymon said, defensively.

"You humans have already spoiled my last two plans, but this time you won't be so lucky."

"Come out Drimogemon!" Boogeymon shouted.

At that moment, a large digimon dove out of the ground behind the girls and their digimon. It looked like a large mole except for the large drill where its nose should be.

"Iron Drill" he shouted as he rushed towards the girls and their digimon.

The four of them managed to get out of the way. "Fairy Flame!" Fairydramon shouted, spitting out a flame. The flame hit Drimogemon. Fairydramon took advantage of this by flying up and scratching the digimon's face.

Drimogemon grunted and dove underground.

Fairydramon looked around tensely. Just then, Drimogemon burst out from beneath the ground. Fairydramon was lying on the ground.

"Ignore her get the girl!" Boogeymon shouted.

Drimogemon obeyed and eyed Sakura. Just as he was about to attack, a small rock hit him which made him change his attention. The source of the rock was Jun.

"Hey stupid over here." She shouted.

"Jun don't make him come over here!" Penquinmon shouted, waving his arms around.

As Drimogemon Turned his attention toward Jun and Penquinmon, Boogeymon flew up to Sakura and grabbed her.

"Ignore them get her." He commanded.

"Let me go!" Sakura shouted, as she struggled in the demon digimon's grasp.

As Boogeymon held the girl, his expression turned to pain. He looked back and saw Fairydramon was chomping on his tail. He let go of Sakura and turned his attention toward Fairydramon.

"You little rat I'll deal with you first." Boogeymon said as he held Fairydramon in his grasp.

"Fairydramon!" Sakura cried. At that precise moment, her digivice began to glow.

Boogeymon's expression switched to fear as Fairydramon glowed.

"**Fairydramon Evolve!**" she shouted. "**Tiamon!**"

In the place of Fairydramon, stood a large dragon. Its scales were a bright emerald color. The antennae on her head were longer and a shining red jewel was on her forehead. Her wings no longer looked like fairy wings but were long and membranous. It stood on four legs like a quadruped as she swung her long tail around. She also wore pink colored gloves on both her front and back legs.

Tiamon turned her attention towards Drimogemon and said. "Get away from her."

Drimogemon quickly dove under ground. Moments later, he dove up from beneath her. "Iron drill!" he shouted, driving his drill into her leg. She yelped in pain.

"Yes that's it get her!" Boogeymon cackled. A smirk then formed on Tiamon's scaly lips. "Ember Claw!" she shouted as fire formed on her front claw. She then struck Drimogemon. The digimon simply regained his stance.

"It will take more than that to knock him down." Boogeymon said, confidently.

"Oh no whatever shall I do." Tiamon said. She then stretched her membranous wings and flew up.

Boogeymon face faulted at this.

"Tiamat Fire!" Tiamon shouted. A large fireball spat out of her mouth. Drimogemon had little time to react as the fireball engulfed him. His data broke apart leaving a small black ball. The ball then dissipated into nothing.

Tiamon dropped down. Smoke poured out of her nostrils as she glared at Boogeymon.

"Uh I swear I'll make you pay." Boogeymon said before he vanished.

"Tiamon you were wonderful." Sakura shouted, as she ran up to her digimon.

Well at least your digimon is reliable." Jun said.

"I can be reliable." Penquinmon said, under his breath.

"Stand back I'll make an entrance." Tiamon said. She turned her head up towards the ceiling. "Tiamat Fire!" she shouted blowing a hole in the ceiling.

"Hop on." She said. The girls and Penquinmon climbed aboard her back. Tiamon then flew out of the cave.

As they entered the outside, they noticed that the sun was beginning to rise.

"Tiamon can you find Dinohumon's cave?" Sakura asked.

"Don't worry I should be able to spot everything from up here." Tiamon replied.

As Tiamon flew off, Jun breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a night." she said.

"I know, but I don't think that's the last we'll see of Boogymon.

"Don't worry about him." Tiamon spoke.

"He's obviously a coward."

"But still." Sakura said.

XXX

Meanwhile Boogeymon was still fuming over his recent loss.

"I can't believe that plan failed!" he shouted.

"I had it planed so carefully."

"You fool, I doubt that even if you had planned it you wouldn't have seceded." A mysterious voice spoke.

The air suddenly became cold as a blanket of darkness crept out of nowhere.

Out of the darkness stepped a figure. It looked humanoid. Black demonic armor covered its entire body. Instead of hands were two dragon skulls with openings. Eyeballs covered the armor as they turned. The face appeared human save for the fact that its face was partially covered by a mask. Long blond hair finally topped off its features.

Boogeymon stepped back in both shock and fear.

"Duskmon." He said.

To be continued……..


	4. Chapter 4

Finally I was able to update. I have just been swamped with school and life in general. Well here is chapter 4

Boogeymon stood there. His face was a mixed expression of shock and fear. Beneath his mask, Duskmon smirked at his teammate.

"What are you doing here?!" Boogeymon said, finally gaining some composure for himself.

"I was monitoring your progress." Duskmon said. His voice lacked emotion and sent chills down Boogeymon's spine.

"You were watching? Well, why didn't you help!" Boogeymon said

"If I recall, you told everyone that you would kill these children single handedly." Said Duskmon.

Duskmon then took a step forward. "The only thing I have seen you do, is waste all of the digimon we've enslaved."

Duskmon continued to walk forward. Boogeymon backed up until he hit a wall. He had a nervous look as Duskmon was up close in his face.

"But it wasn't my fault, it was those brats!" Boogeymon said, defensively.

"No, it was your tactics." Said Duskmon. "The digimon you picked to fight them relied on strength."

"Because of you, two of the digimon have evolved." Duskmon continued. "Perhaps I should report your failure."

"Please don't tell!" Boogeymon said, pleading on his knees.

"Just give me another chance."

"Very well." Duskmon said. "But this time, I believe you will require some assistance."

"Assistance?" Boogeymon questioned.

"Yes. Those children will be traveling through the desert."

"They'll be tired after walking through all that heat and they'll need relaxation."

XXX

The sun shone down on the desert. The children and their digimon trekked under the hot sun.

Although it was hot, they managed to bear it and press on...well almost everyone.

"Does it have to be so hot!" Sho exclaimed.

"I know what you mean Sho-chan." Labramon said. Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth as she panted.

"Damn that Dinohumon." Jun said.

"Go east through the desert he said." She said mockingly.

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?" Kazuya said. "We should just try and bear it."

"Well, what are we supposed to find in a desert?" I mean what is the point. Said Jun.

"Well, complaining won't get us across faster." Said Kazuya.

"Come on guys, don't argue." Sakura said.

"We have to think positive. She continued, putting her fist in the air."

"We're here to save the world, so we should press on."

Jun got an annoyed look on her face and said. "Could you just cut the Mary-Sue act for one second?" Jun said.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Kazuya shouted.

Jun and Kazuya then began to argue. Sho was trying to break them up while Sakura stood there embarrassed. Chiisi was the only one who remained silent.

"Now this is entertainment." DemiDevimon said with a smirk.

"Now, if only a fight broke out, eh kid?"

Chiisi turned around to gaze at the arguing teenagers.

"It's understandable why they're upset." Chiisi said. Suddenly out of nowhere, the ground erupted.

"What's happening?!" Kazuya shouted.

Just then, Sho begin to sink. "Sho-chan!" Labramon shouted, as she tried to pull Sho back up. Then, she and her partner were sucked under the sand. Soon, one by one, the others and their digimon were dragged under as well. Chiisi watched this in shock. He gasped as he began to sink as well. DemiDevimon tried to fly away, but to no avail. Soon their world went black.

XXX

"It is done." Duskmon said.

"That was your plan?" Boogeymon questioned.

"I have set the stage; I'll leave them to you." Duskmon said flatly.

Duskmon then simply vanished leaving Boogeymon behind.

"This will be fun." Boogeymon said with a smirk.

XXX

The digidestined landed hard.

"What just happened?" asked Sakura.

As they gazed at their surroundings, they soon realized that they were in a forest. An eerie mist surrounded them.

"This doesn't make sense, weren't we in a desert?" Sho questioned.

"This fog gives me the creeps." Jun said, as she looked around nervously.

"Didn't picture you afraid of a little fog. "Kazuya snickered.

"Kazuya, there's something here." Gazimon said.

"He's right, there is evil all around us." Fairydramon said. The children noticed that all of their digimon looked nervous. The only digimon that didn't was DemiDevimon. Unlike the other digimon, he seemed relaxed and calm. Chiisi noticed this.

"Why aren't you nervous?" He asked his partner.

"Unlike them, I find evil to be comforting at times." DemiDevimon replied.

"You look pretty calm yourself." DemiDevimon said to Chiisi.

Chiisi had to agree with him, he did feel calm. All of this silence and fog gave him a sense of tranquility. Just as he was admiring his surroundings, he felt the ground below him begin to dissipate. He stumbled forward.

"The ground's is disappearing!" Chiisi said, in an uncharacteristic manner.

Just then, Sho fell backwards. Labramon pulled him forward with her teeth.

"Let's get out of here"! Kazuya shouted.

The children and their digimon rushed through the fog, as the ground disappeared behind them. They spotted something in the distance. As they got closer, it turned out to be a large old looking mansion.

"In there!" Kazuya shouted.

They then burst through the large double doors. The vanishing ground stopped right at the entrance to the mansion.

Boogeymon then appeared out of the fog.

"Well, now the fun can begin." He said.

XXX

The digidestined entered the manor in a hurry, closing the door behind them. They stood in the main chamber trying to catch their breath.

"What was that?" Sakura asked, between breaths.

"I don't know, but I felt an evil presence". Said Fairydramon.

"Whoa! Look at this place". Chiisi said, with astonishment in his voice.

"Everything here looks so old and creepy."

The room there were in did indeed look old and cryptic. Chiisi looked like he could not be happier.

"Is he always like this?" Jun asked Sakura.

"Well, yes." Said Sakura. "Chiisi's always had an interest in things like this."

"Well, I guess we should take a look around. I don't think we'll be going anywhere." Said Kazuya.

"You know, if you're afraid you can stay close to me." Gazimon said, to Fairydramon.

"Don't push your luck, rabbit." Fairydramon responded.

"Are you sure it's safe to just wander around a strange house?" Sho said.

"Well, what else can we do? We can't go back outside." Said Kazuya.

"Alright, but I've seen enough movies to know that this will end badly." Said Sho.

"Don't worry Sho-chan, I don't feel any bad things in here." Said Labramon.

"She's right. This place doesn't feel so bad." Penquinmon said.

"Well, I guess it's decided then." Kazuya said, enthusiastically.

"Hey, where's Chiisi and DemiDevimon?" Gazimon said, as he noticed the pair was gone.

XXX

"Wow!" Chiisi exclaimed, as he found himself engrossed in his surroundings. Isn't this place amazing.

"It's just a hallway kid." DemiDevimon said.

"But this place is just so archaic, who knows what's in here." Chiisi said astonished.

DemiDevimon smirked and said. "Just give me someone to fight and I'll be a happy mon."

"I really don't understand your obsession with violence." Chiisi said, as he came to a stop. Before him was a dead end. Great, it stopped. Guess we should head back.

Just as he turned around, there on the side of the wall, was a door. Strange. "That wasn't there before." He said.

"Why don't we go in?" DemiDevimon said.

"There could be something interesting in there...heh." DemiDevimon chuckled.

Although Chiisi was somewhat reluctant to go, his curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the door. As soon as the boy stepped through, he was faced with a spiraling staircase. What was strange was that the staircase seemed to be floating in mid air. There was no ground. Only an endless abyss of darkness.

"Should we go up?" Chiisi questioned his partner.

"Don't know. Personally I'm curious." said DemiDevimon.

The pair walked up the stairs, but as they walked, Chiisi had a feeling in his chest.

"What's wrong?" DemiDevimon asked.

"I have this feeling in my chest. It's as if something is warning me."

Chiisi paused for a moment as he seemed to be listening for something. "Move!" he suddenly said. Just at that moment, a clawed hand reached out of the stairs nearly missing Chiisi and DemiDevimon.

"Demi Dart!" DemiDevimon cried, as he threw a dart at the hand. The hand then deleted upon impact.

"Well, I was hoping for some action." DemiDevimon said. Just as he said this, the staircase dissolved sending both of them falling.

Seemingly out of nowhere, tendrils of shadow wrapped itself around the boy and digimon. The tendrils began choking the boy dragging him and his digimon into nowhere. Chiisi struggled with the tendrils but they only squeezed harder.

"Hang on kid!" DemiDevimon said, attacking the tendrils.

Unfortunanlty, Demidevimon failed to see the tendrils sneak up behind him

"What the?" Yelled DemiDevimon, as he was dragged into the darkness.

"This can't happen." Chiisi thought to himself, as he prepared for the end. Then, at that moment, the tendrils began to disperse. A flash appeared before Chiisi's eyes. For a moment, his eyes tried to adjust from the flash. He looked around himself. He was in some sort of silver colored room. Above him were ten large crystals. Chiisi looked and gasped at what he saw. Inside the crystals were shapes human and digimon. The other children.

"How did you get here?" A voice questioned. Chiisi turned around to see Boogeymon standing a few feet away from him.

"How come you weren't captured?" Boogeymon asked the boy.

"You must be Boogeymon." said Chiisi.

"Oh, so you've heard of me." Boogeymon said proudly.

"Yeah you're that idiot my cousin and Jun talked about." Boogeymon fell over at this remark.

"Shut up, you little brat! Now answer my question! How did you escape the darkness!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Chiisi.

"This mansion draws its power from darkness. Once someone enters, they are ensnared and their mind and bodies are overrun with it until they lose all of their senses." said Boogeymon.

"But somehow you repelled it."

"Let them go!" Chiisi yelled.

"Sorry, because of you brats, my allies are beginning to think I'm incompetent." said Boogeymon.

"Once I deliver you to my boss, I'm sure to finally gain respect."

"But, I think I'll deliver your corpse instead." He said, menacingly.

He then lunged forward at the boy, bearing his pitchfork down. The only thing he hit was the floor, as Chiisi dodged it.

Boogeymon quickly grabbed the boy by his arm and prepared for the kill. He stopped when he noticed Chiisi's digivice began to glow and so did the DemiDevimon crystal.

"**DemiDevimon evolve**!" As the evolution began, the crystal broke apart and a humanoid shape descended down, "**Devimon**!"

Before them stood a tall, thin devil. His skin was completely black and arched horns adorned his head. On his chest was a large imprint of an orange symbol. His arms were long and reached down to his legs.

Devimon gazed at his bandaged claws. His pale mouth broke out into a smirk. "Finally! I've been waiting for this." He said.

"Now, how should I kill you?" Devimon said, gesturing towards Boogeymon.

"Should I just hit you till you delete? Or should I rip you apart? Either way you'll be dead."

"You scum." Boogeymon said, letting go of Chiisi. He then held out his left hand. An ebony colored crystal ball materialized in his hand.

"Now come, darkness." The room then disappeared, bringing them back into the dark void.

The orb in Boogeymon pulsed and Boogeymon faded into the darkness.

"Damn! Where did he go?" Devimon exclaimed.

"Ruby Eye!" Boogeymon's voice, rang out.

Twin Beams of ruby colored energy struck Devimon.

"Death Crash." Boogeymon appeared out of nowhere, crashing into Devimon. He then disappeared into the darkness.

"Devimon you're a dark digimon right?" Chiisi cried.

"Look around you. You're in your element."

Devimon scanned the area before giving a smirk.

"Touch of evil!" Devimon cried, slashing his claw. Boogeymon then materialized after being hit.

"I won't be beaten so easily. I control the power of darkness!" Boogeymon yelled triumphantly.

"You control darkness? Ha! You are nothing but a trash devil." said Devimon.

"I'll show you trash!" Boogeymon cried.

He held the orb high in the air. It glowed with a black light as darkness surrounded it.

"Death Crash!" he cried, rushing forward with the orb.

"Touch of Evil!" Devimon cried, rushing at Devimon. His claw flowed with dark energy.

The two clashed at each other. They both struggled as both sides emitted a lot of darkness.

"Come on, Devimon! Show him who's the stronger devil!" Chiisi yelled.

Devimon grunted as he expelled more dark energy. Boogeymon's orb then began to crack. And soon, it shattered.

Boogeymon was then engulfed by Devimon's attack and was sent hurtling through the void.

"Well, trash is trash." Devimon said.

Suddenly, everything began to shake. A loud rumbling echoed out. Devimon took this time to fly to Chiisi. "Hang on kid!" He yelled. Chiisi closed his eyes anticipating the worst. To his surprise, he felt the sun on his face. Both he and Devimon looked up to see they were back outside. "Guess we got spat out." Chiisi said.

Just then, he remembered the others. He looked frantically around. To his relief, he saw them all lying on the ground, still unconscious.

"Are they alright?" Chiisi asked.

"Ehh, they'll be fine." Devimon said.

"Do you think Boogeymon got away?" Chiisi asked.

"Maybe, but hopefully we just rid the Digital World of garbage." said Devimon.

Devimon's body then began to glow. "No, not now!" he cried, before shrinking back into DemiDevimon.

"Damn it!" DemiDevimon yelled, as he kicked some sand.

"I was just getting used to the power."

Chiisi couldn't help but smile. But one thing bothered him.

"How did I repel the darkness?" Chiisi wondered.

To be continued¦.


	5. Chapter 5

"So the idiot failed." Duskmon mused to himself. He had watched the battle between Devimon and Boogeymon. For a moment, he thought Boogeymon would win. For once Boogeymon had a smart idea. But, he had underestimated the child and his digimon.

Boogeymon's apparent death was no big loss but what bothered Duskmon the most was how the child was so in tune with darkness. "This child could be interesting. I will have to watch him closely."

XXX

"Jun wait!" Penguinmon shouted.

Jun turned around to see her partner slowly huffing and waddling towards her.

"Do you have to be so slow?" Jun said.

"It's hot." Penguinmon whined.

"You're such a whiner." Jun groaned.

"You could carry me then I won't have to catch up so much." Penguinmon suggested.

"You have to be kidding, I wouldn't be caught dead holding a wimp like you!" Jun shouted.

At this point Jun reminded herself why it was embarrassing to have Penguinmon as a partner. After being told of how DemiDevimon evolved, Jun wished that her partner was not such a wimp.

"I feel sorry for Penguinmon." Kazuya said as he noticed Jun cold behavior towards her digimon.

"I don't know I like that kind of attitude in a girl." Said Gazimon.

"I think it gives them some edge." He said motioning towards Fairydramon.

"Pervert." She muttered under her breath.

"I know how Penguinmon feels."

"In school Jun put me threw all kinds of torture." Said Sho.

"She beat me up on a regular basis."

"Aww poor Sho-chan" Labramon said.

She nuzzled him saying "She is just a big meanie."

"Yeah tell me about it" Kazuya said.

"Oh come on I'm sure she is a good person deep down." Sakura said.

"I doubt it she a witch, a bully, she's got severe issues an-." Kazuya said before Jun smacked him upside the head.

"If you have something to say to me than say it to my face goggle boy!" Jun said angrily.

"Jun Kazuya didn't mean it." Sakura said.

"Yes I did." Kazuya said spiting out a mouthful of sand.

"Whatever." Jun said.

"Lets just get out of this desert." She said walking off.

They walked for what seemed like an eternity. Everywhere they looked was sand and more sand.

"That's it I can't walk anymore." Penguinmon said collapsing.

"Come on we have to keep going." Said Jun.

"But I'm tired." He moaned.

"You're such a little waste!" Jun Shouted.

"I should just leave you here."

"That's it I've watched you abuse your digimon for a long time." Kazuya said, stepping up.

"What's it you?" Jun said defensively.

"Well you shouldn't treat your digimon that way!" He shouted

"Look it's my digimon so I should have the right especially since it's useless."

As Jun said these harsh words, Penguinmon looked down sadly.

Jun and Kazuya continued to argue but just then Chiisi came over with a hopeful look on his face.

"What is it?" asked Sakura.

"DemiDevimon and I found a bunch of telephone booths." Chiisi said.

"In the desert?" she questioned.

They then ran off toward where Chiisi found the phones.

"Hey were not done yet goggle boy." Jun shouted toward Kazuya as he and Gazimon ran off.

"Well come on lets go." Jun said coldly toward Penguinmon.

Penguinmon then followed his partner albeit sadly.

Sure enough, there were telephone booths all lined up.

"Wow Chiisi was right." Kazuya said.

"I'm sure are parents must be worried by now" Said Sho.

"Well we have money so we might as well call." Said Sakura.

"Aren't you going to call home Jun." Penguinmon asked his partner, noticing she didn't get in a phone booth.

"Doubt my mother is sober enough to realize I'm gone." She said.

Moments later Kazuya, Sho, Sakura, and Chiisi stepped outside. Their faces had a mixture of shock and disappointment.

"What happened?" asked Jun.

"When I called home, someone shouted this line is busy go away." Said Kazuya.

"For some reason my phone kept saying that the skies would be partly cloudy with a chance of ice cream."

"Well ah mine was." Sakura said blushing.

"Were not sure what we heard but we could tell it was very wrong." Chiisi cut in.

"Well that's just perfect the phones don't work in this world." Said Jun.

Just then Labramon began to sniff curiously.

"What is it?" Sho asked.

"Well this is weird but I smell Penguinmon." She said.

"Penguinmon? Why would Penguinmon be in the desert?" Gazimon asked.

"Well it does smell like Penguinmon only like tropical." Labramon said.

The dog digimon then sniffed some more before she took off in a flash. "Over here!" she said as she took off.

The others than began to follow Labramon. "Jun wait." Penguinmon said.

Jun then sighed and said "I'm going to kick myself for this."

She then picked up her digimon holding him close.

"The minute we catch up I'm throwing you back and you better keep this too yourself." She said balling up her fist.

"Uh Huh." Penguinmon said nervously.

Soon they reached the top of a sand dune and were happy at what they saw. Before them, the desert had ended and in front of it was what appeared to be some sort of jungle.

"Finally a way out of the desert." Kazuya shouted happily.

Labramon sniffed some more and bolted off again.

The group followed her into the jungle. Soon Labramon came to a stop. She looked around disappointed.

"Where is everyone?" she asked innocently.

"The children and their digimon soon caught up with her. As they, arrived Jun quickly dropped Penguinmon.

"I-I could of sworn I smelled fruit tropical scented Penguinmon were here." Labramon said.

"Are you sure you didn't smell just smell food Labramon?" Sho asked, as he noticed all of the fruit in the trees.

"No! I know there were some digimon here." Labramon whined.

As if on cue, her stomach growled. "Well I am hungry." Labramon said.

"Well this was a perfect waste of time." Said Jun.

"This stupid mutt led us on a wild goose chase." She continued.

Just then, a large net appeared out of nowhere. It covered the children and the digimon.

"What is this?" Kazuya shouted.

Out the bushes, several digimon emerged. They looked like Penguinmon only they were red in color. Their bellies were a yellow color and the stripes on their belly were green.

"Hey I knew I smelled something." Labramon said, a bit tired sounding.

"Those are Muchomon." Said Fairydramon. She also sounded a bit tired.

"Let us out of here before I kick your feathery asses!" Jun shouted to the Muchomon.

"Shut your mouth you viral infectees." One of the Muchomon yelled.

"Virus Infected?" Jun asked.

"Don't play dumb, you viral infectees refers to digimon infected by those viruses."

"Do any of us look like digimon to you!?" Jun questioned.

The lead Muchomon gazed at her for a bit. "Well I don't know what you are but those digimon you have must be infected."

"Someone do something!" Jun yelled at the digimon. They all looked tired.

"This net is specially made to weaken you virals." The Muchomon said.

"What should we do with them?" Another Muchomon asked.

"We'll take them back to the village of course." The lead Muchomon said grabbing the net.

The Muchomon then dragged the net through the jungle. In the net the children tried to explain themselves to their captors but to no avail.

Soon the Muchomon arrived at what appeared to be the village. Several huts dotted the area along with a campfire in the middle. Many Muchomon were wondering around going about their business.

"Elder Elder!" The lead Muchomon cried. Just then a Muchomon wearing some sort of headdress and necklace stepped out.

"We caught some virals" The Muchomon said flapping his flippers up and down.

"Look you little idiot. We are not digimon were humans!" Yelled Jun.

"Now let us out of this net before I break out and kick your feathery asses!"

"Someone has anger problems." Chiisi said, quietly.

The elder Muchomon looked at the children a few times. Then suddnely he smacked the lead Muchomon that had captured them.

"You fool, don't your realize who these are?" The Elder Muchomon said.

"Uhh… infected digimon?" Was all the Muchmon could muster as he nursed his sore spot.

"Those are humans you nit!" The elder Muchomon shouted angrily.

"Furthermore these children are the digidestined." He said as he pointed to Jun's digivice inside the net.

As if on cue the other Muchomon cut them free.

As soon as she was free, Jun began to run toward the Muchomon that had captured them. But luckily to the Muchomon relief Jun was restrained by the other digidestined and their digimon.

"Let me go I want to beat the snot out of that freak!" She shouted.

"Please I'm sorry I made a mistake." The Muchomon yelled.

"Yes Jun it was just a mistake." Penguinmon said, trying to calm down his partner.

"You stay out of this!" she shouted, at Penguinmon, causing him to tense up at her harsh words.

"Please Digidestined I apologize for this young Muchomon's foolishness."

"Come on Jun he's apologizing." Sakura said, calmly.

Jun then calmed down. "All right but that one better not come near me." She said, as the others let her go.

"If there is anything that we can do, please let us know." The elder said.

"Well we could use some food and water." Said Kazuya.

"Very well." The elder said.

"Prepare some food for our guests." The Muchomon quickly began going about their work.

"Wow for Penguin's these guys are fast." Gazimon said.

Soon the Muchomon brought out a variety of fruits and plenty of water.

The kids and their digimon immediately started eating.

"So you know about us?" Sho said between bites.

"Off course, it was predicted long ago that five humans would come and save this world from destruction. The elder said.

"Cool that means were famous." Kazuya said.

"I don't think it okay to be famous when there are digimon that want to kill us." Said Sho.

"Come on Sho I mean how often are people legends." Kazuya replied.

Meanwhile far off from the festivities, Jun was off by herself, She casually munched on an apple.

"What's wrong Jun? a voice said to her.

Jun looked down to see the source of the voice. It was Penguinmon.

"Who its you." She relied flatly.

"You seem upset, you should be happy." He said as he noticed his partners expression.

"Hey I can feel whatever I want." Said Jun.

"I just want to leave this stupid world and get back to my life."

"So just leave me alone." She said.

"But I just want to help you." Penguinmon said.

"Look just leave me alone I don't want anyone's sympathy especially fro ma weak little wimp like you.

Penguinmon was both concerned and saddened as his partner turned away. Both for her and himself.

XXX

"Stupid humans, why did they have to come and make everyone upset at me?"

Off in the jungle, the Muchomon that had captured the kids was fuming to himself. He was angry at himself for mistaking those humans for digimon.

"I was just trying to protect the village." He said.

"But if they were infected digimon, was bringing them into the village a wise choice?" A voice boomed out of nowehere.

The Muchmon gasped as a dark figure materialized out of nowhere. That figure was Duskmon.

"Wh-who are yo" But before the Muchomon could a full sentence out, Duskmon clamped him in his jaw like hands.

"My I feel such anger and hostility in you." Duskmon said.

"Here let me help sooth your anger." Duskmon then held out his free hand. A small black virus materialized in front of it. It then slowly made its way toward the Muchomon sinking into its body.

"The Muchomon's body began to glow and distort as Duskon chuckled softly to himself.

"Go and release that anger." He said before vanishing into thin air.

The creature roared in response.

XXX

"What was that?" Sho asked.

The other digimon looked tense as they heard the roar.

At that moment Sho got his answer as something dove out of the jungle

A shape flew by like a flash. It then turned around to for all to gaze at it. It looked like Pteradon with jet wings. Several missiles were under its wings as well.

"What's a Pteramon doing all the way out here?" Fairydramon asked.

Pteramn then looked down at the village but then its eyes caught something. It shrieked angrily as it dove towards someone, Jun.

"Look out!" Penguinmon cried as he tried to push Jun out of the way.

Jun simply ran out of Pteramons way while Penguinmon just waddled.

Pteramon shrieked angrily and turned back towards Jun.

"Why is that thing so mad at me?" she asked.

"I'd answer but you would probably get mad." Said Penguinmon.

Just then the missiles under Pteramons wings blasted off in different directions. The explosions rocked the village as huts were destroyed.

Seeing the chaos Pteramon took that moment to make his move. It flew down and in an instant it grabbed Jun in its talons.

"Let me go you freak" Jun shouted.

Pteramon simply shrieked in reply.

"Jun!" Penguinmon shouted.

"_What can I do?_" Penguinmon thought. Just then Jun's digivice began to glow.

Just as the digivice glowed so did Penguinmon. "**Penguinmon Evolve!**"

Penguinmon's small shape began to grow and as soon as the evolution was done, In the place where Penguinmon stood was an entirely different digimon. "**Saberdramon!**"

In Penguinmon's place stood a large bird digimon. He was completely black and his body appeared as is he was on fire.

"Is this me?" Penguinmon said to himself, looking himself over.

"Oh my voice is different." He said noticing his somewhat deeper voice.

"Don't just stand there do some!" Jun said as Pteramon dropped her.

"Jun!" Saberdramon said. He then flew up catching Jun on his body.

"Your safe now Jun." Saberdramon said lowering his wing.

Jun then slid then onto the ground. Saberdramon then flew up to confront Pteramon.

"Is that really Penguinmon?" Kazuya asked.

"Who would have thought Penguinmon would evolve into that." Gazimon said.

"_Maybe this wimp has a fighting chance_" Jun thought to herself.

"Come on Saberdarmon kick his ass!" Jun shouted.

"Wow Jun's impressed with me." Saberdramon said.

"Alright you, it's time someone tau-OWWWWWWWWW"

While he talking Pteramon had flown up and pecked him hard on his beak.

He then began to repeatedly peck at him. "Stop please it hurts!" Saberdramon shouted as he feebily flapped his wings.

The other s down below just watched with their mouths open at this display.

"I spoke to soon" Kazuya said, as he sweatdropped.

"Tell me about it." Gazimon said sweatdropping, as well.

"Come on you idiot do something!" Jun shouted at her digimon.

"Get off me!" Saberdramon cried as he shook himself off.

Pteramon fired the missiles on his other wing Saberdramon eeped as they came towards him.

"Black Saber!" he cried, flapping his wings. Several black fireballs shot out. They hit the missiles destroying them.

Saberdramon then charged towards Pteramon ramming him. "Black Saber!" He cried again, sending out his attack.

Ptermon shrieked as he was hit. "Now to finish you off!" "Mach Shadow!" he cried as a large shadow of Saberdramon left his bode enveloping Pteramon.

Pteramon shrieked in pain and soon as the shadow dissipated. He began to fall towards the village. Pteramon's shape began to shrink as he turned into a Muchomon before hitting the ground.

The other crowded around to see the creature that was once Pteramon. It was the same Muchomon that had captured them earlier. "Thank you." He said before deleting. In his place was a small virus that deleted along with him.

"Another one digimon enslaved by the virus's." The Muchomon elder noted sadly.

Up above Saberdramon was watching this entire event he was feeling a mixture of happiness and sadness. Happy because he had saved Jun but sad that another innocent digimon was lost.

XXX

Nothing was moving in the desert. Then as if to break the desolate tranquility, a red hand burst out of the sand. A figure dug its way out of the sand gasping for air. It was Boogeymon.

"Damn those brats this time I'll make them sorry!" He shouted holding his fist up.

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

"What am I going to do?" Boogeymon asked to no one.

"Every time I come up with a plan, those brats ruin it!"

"That mansion plan was my best idea yet" he mused to himself

"Although, I probably should have done it a little better…like making illusionary food or baths."

Just then, Boogeymon realized he had in a sense insulted himself.

"Grah! What am I saying! I have to think of something better than that!"

Boogeymon flew up in the air looking toward the vast jungle before him.

"They should be in there." he said to himself.

"Duskmon said that big and brawny isn't the way to go, so I will just have to come up with something smaller." He said with a smirk

He then flew off to into the distance, with a plan forming in his brain.

XXX

"Come on gimmie some!" Labramon whined.

"No. Step off, you greedy mutt." Jun said to Labramon, holding the bag out of the digimon's reach.

The digidestined had left the Muchomon village. Although the Muchomon were saddened at the loss of their fellow Muchomon, they were thankful that Penguinmon had released him from enslavement. The Muchomon had given the children a supply of food and water for their journey.

"Come on, you meanie. My tummy wants food!" Labramon continued to whine.

"Would you stop your whining?" Fairydramon said, a small stream of fire escaping her lips.

"Yeah. You ate more than all of us combined." Gazimon added.

"But I'm hungry!" Labramon said.

She than rolled herself over and started to cry. The others covered their ears as Labramon bawled and whined.

"Just give me a moment and I can end this." DemiDevimon said, holding a demi dart.

"Not now." Said Chiisi.

Sho sweatdropped as he saw his digimon acting like a child.

"Come on Labramon. Please just wait a little while longer, I promise I will get you something a little later okay?" Sho said, trying to reassure his digimon.

Labramon immediately looked up at Sho and said "Okay Sho chan!"

She then smiled and began to rub herself against Sho's leg "I'd do anything you ask." She said flirtatiously.

"That's a way to handle your girlfriend Sanbara."

"G-girlfriend?!" Sho said looking down at Labramon.

"Uh Kazuya, don't you think we should get going? You know…saving the world and what not." Said Sho, trying to change the subject.

"Um sure, but where do we go from here?" Kazuya asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be the leader?" Chiisi asked.

"I never agreed to that." Said Kazuya.

"Why does everyone think I'm the leader?" Kazuya asked, turning to Gazimon.

"Must be the goggles." Gazimon said.

"Well…uh…I think we should go, um…this way. Uh no. That way." Kazuya said, pointing in a random direction.

"We're never going to get out of here, are we?" Jun said.

"Try to be positive Jun." Penguinmon spoke up.

Jun simply looked ahead as Kazuya and Gazimon were leading them off in some direction.

"Oh I'll be positive alright." Said Jun, the sarcasm evident in her voice.

XXX

"All right you have your orders, now go!" Boogeymon said to the assembled digimon.

In a flash the three figures were gone and disappeared into the jungle.

"Heh, just wait you little brats. I'll make you wish you never messed with me!" Boogeymon said cackling.

XXX

Although the digidestined (minus Jun) were optimistic since Kazuya and Gazimon had taken charge. They quickly began to feel discouraged, as they were seemingly getting nowhere.

"Um, I was sure this was the right way." Said Kazuya, as he looked around the jungle.

"I was just following you." Gazimon said, sheepishly.

"Well I knew this was going to happen." Said Jun, putting her hands on her hips.

"Do you have to nitpick at everything I do?" Kazuya asked.

"Well if you knew where you were going then I wouldn't have to complain." Jun retorted.

"Oh please you two don't get into another argument." Pleaded Sakura. The two of them looked like they were ready to start a miniature war.

Chiisi then looked up and said, "The sun is setting."

The others looked up and sure enough, it was starting to get dark. Soon the whole jungle was dark and gave off a creepy atmosphere. All of this was beginning to make the children very nervous. Kazuya then put on a brave face and boldly stepped up.

"Okay as the leader I say we find a place to rest for the night." He said.

Jun simply scoffed at Kazuya's idea and said. "You want us to rest in the middle of a jungle in the dark."

Kazuya simply gave her a nasty look and led the group forward. Soon the path they were on led out into a large clearing. The digidestined gasped in awe at what they saw. In front of them were what appeared to be large ruins. It looked as if a battle had took place.

"What is this place?" Sakura asked.

"Well they look like ruins or something." Chiisi replied.

"Well this looks like a perfect place to set up camp. Now we just need some wood for a fire." Kazuya boldly said.

"Leave that to me." Fairydramon said. She flapped her wings and flew towards a set of trees. She raised her claws in and shouted "Fairy Strike!" several pieces of the tree splintered off. Fairydramon picked them up. "Where would you like these?" she replied flatly.

Kazuya looked towards the ruins and pointed. As soon as they arrived close to the ruins, Fairydramon simply dropped the wood down in a pile. "Fairy Flame!" Fairydramon cried spewing out some fire onto the wood. Soon a roaring fire lit up. As the light of the flame enveloped the dark area, the ruins could be seen more clearly. Sakura looked at the ruins and noticed several markings on a partially destroyed wall.

"What are these?" she asked.

"That's digicode." Fairydramon said.

"Does it mean anything?" Sakura asked.

Fairydramon examined the wall. Her face then had a puzzled expression.

"Well it says something but it does not make sense." Fairydramon said

"Well what does it say?" asked Sakura.

"It says Gra Ac On." Fairydramon replied.

"Gra Ac On?" The others repeated.

"What the heck does that mean?" Jun asked.

Fairydramon simply shrugged and said. "I have no idea"

"But it is obviously not the full message." She said further examining it.

"The digicode is broken in several places so it could say anything."

Gazimon then ran up to her and was soon in Fairydramon's face. "Fairydramon-chan you're so wise and beautiful too." He said.

Slowly, Gazimon crept his paw towards her tail and began stroking it, a smile creeping on his face. Fairydramon's face however formed into a scowl.

"The way you deciphered that message, the way you delivered those words, the way-" Gazimon cut off as Fairydramon smacked Gazimon away. He tumbled to the ground, as he got up a red mark was visible under his fur. "Keep your hands to yourself rabbit!" Fairydramon shouted.

Gazimon rubbed his sore cheek and the glanced at Kazuya . "Come on Kazuya, let's go!" Gazimon said spontaneously, grabbing Kazuya's arm.

"Hey, where are we going?" Kazuya asked.

"Guard duty! As leaders we have to look out for the group." Gazimon said.

Gazimon dragged Kazuya till he was they were out of sight of the others. Gazimon then began to search around fiercely.

"What are you doing?" Kazuya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Guard duty." Gazimon replied.

Kazuya sighed and said "There's no point. There is no one out here."

"But Fairydramon-chan will have to be impressed with me looking out for danger." Said Gazimon.

"I doubt after that she would be impressed with you." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon simply went back to his guarding. "Some never learn." Kazuya said to himself. As he watched his partner, his mind began to drift back to his home. It had been two days since they arrived in the Digital World. By now they were reported missing. He wondered about his how his sister was doing. She was probably having a fit. Probably thought he ran away to spite her. Kazuya's sister Keiko could be a major nag sometimes. His mind began to drift back to times back home.

XXX

_Kazuya opened the door to the house slightly. He looked around and when he felt it was clear he stated up the stairs. "Hold it right there!" a woman's voice said. Kazuya frowned and turned towards the voice of his voice. A woman in her early thirties with short sandy brown hair stood there tapping her foot. Her arms were crossed and she appeared angry. _

"_Heh heyKeiko." Kazuya said laughing weakly. "Don't "hey Keiko" me." She said. "I got a call from your school saying you beat up another student." Keiko continued angrily. Kazuya became angry at that. "That's not how it went! and besides that jerk deserved it!" Kazuya shouted angrily._

"_I don't care how it went." Keiko shouted._

"_Ever since mom and dad died I was left responsible for you and I don't want my brother turning into a thug." She shouted._

"_Quit acting like you're mom!" Kazuya shouted before running upstairs to his room._

XXX

Sakura was trying to calm her digimon down. Fairydramon was fuming ever since Gazimon's display of affection.

"That perverted little, the next time I see him." Fairydramon said, smoke rising up from her nostrils."

Sakura placed a hand on her digimon. "Calm down. Getting mad never solved anything." She said, trying to calm down her digimon.

"Well you don't have to deal with a pervert." Fairydramon replied

"From what I can see Kazuya seems like a good boy."

Sakura had to agree. Kazuya was pretty much the best friend she had. It was a wonder that he had such a perverted digimon. "Yeah, Kazuya is like that." she agreed.

XXX

_Sakura waited outside the office door. She looked outside, noticing it was getting late. If she stayed any later her parents would be upset. Finally, the door opened revealing Kazuya. "Well detentions served." he said._

"_Kazuya." Sakura said._

"_Sakura what are you doing here?" Kazuya asked._

_Sakura crossed her arms and said. "Well I was wondering what you were thinking beating him up." Sakura said. Who Sakura meant, of course, was the guy who was her now ex boyfriend. They had dated for almost two months. That is, until she caught him cheating with another girl. She remembered that moment when Kazuya found her in tears. When he asked her what was wrong she told him everything. Kazuya then stormed off. Pretty soon there was a talk of a fight earlier between Kazuya and her ex._

"_Oh come on. That guy was a jerk." Kazuya said._

"_Still you didn't have to beat him up." Sakura said._

"_People might get the wrong idea." She said._

_Kazuya raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that? Kazuya asked. Then it finally hit him._

"_Look Sakura. You're my best friend and I just got upset at the way he was treating you." Kazuya began. "You're like the sister I never had."_

"_What about Keiko?" Asked Sakura_

"_I mean a sister that is actually cool." Kazuya said._

_Sakura laughed at that remark. Kazuya could always make her laugh._

XXX

As usual Chiisi stood in the darkness away from the campfire. DemiDevimon was perched on his shoulder as usual. Chiisi always preferred being by himself. It's not that he hates the others, or company, he just felt better alone. Still there was something about darkness that always fascinated him. Darkness was always feared and hated, but for some reason Chiisi just couldn't take his mind off it. Especially after that incident with Boogeymon in that fake mansion. The darkness of that place almost took him but for some reason he repelled it.

Pushing it out of his thoughts for a moment Chiisi looked at the group near the fire. Sho and Jun he did not know very well except at summer camp where Kazuya often had to defend Sho from Jun's bullying. He had lived with his cousin Sakura's family since he was born and when she met Kazua the two of them became a close knit group. Although he found Kazuya's sense of justice and Sakura's protectiveness a bit annoying, those two were the closet things to friends he had.

XXX

_Stares, Chiisi was used to them by now. Because of his interests and attire the other children avoided him. Unlike the other children, he preferred to be by himself during recess. _

"_Hey it's that freaky kid." Chiisi heard a voice whisper as he walked past._

"_I heard his mom dumped him off and abandoned him." another child said._

_Chiisi ignored these remarks to him this was a normal day. Soon the bell rang and it was time to go. Chiisi walked outside. As usual, Kazuya and Sakura were waiting for him. The three always walked home from school together. It was like a daily routine._

"_Hey Chiisi!" Kazuya cried._

"_So how was your day?" Sakura asked._

"_Oh the usual." Chiisi said._

"_You always say that." Said Kazuya._

XXX

Like Chiisi, Jun kept her distance from the others but not for the same reason.

Penguinmon noticed his partner's reclusion. "What's wrong?" he asked, innocently.

"None of your business." Said Jun. She then turned away from him.

Jun began to think about home. She wondered if word reached her mother but figured her mother would be too drunk to care. Still she questioned her luck. One minute she was in a summer camp with, in her opinion, losers. The next she was in another world and told she had to save it. To make matters worse, her digimon was a complete and total wimp. Her list of complaints could go on and on but all she wanted was to get out of this place and go back to her life.

XXX

_Jun snickered as she watched Sho squirm in her arms._

"_Come on let me go!" he cried._

"_Let me go!" Jun mocked._

_She then let him go watching smirking as he fell to the ground_

"_Geez Sanbara you're pathetic" she said._

_Jun was well known as a bully, although Sho was her primary target. Beating him and humiliating him had become a ritual since 4th grade. Still she never got tired of it. To her Sho was just so pathetic and easy to pick on. Because of her reputation, a lot of kids feared her so she had about zero friends. That did not matter to her though she did not need anyone. _

"_Someday you'll get what's coming to you." Sho said as he got to his feet._

"_Was that a threat?" Jun said, stepping forward._

_Sho immediately backed away. "Uhh no it's just that." He stammered._

"_Hmm I'll have to remember that tomorrow." Jun said walking off._

XXX

Sho stood by the campfire. Unlike the others he wanted to stay someplace he felt secure. What better place than by the campfire. Sho had been trying to remain calm at these turn of events but he couldn't help but feel scared. He was never a brave person after all, and now he was traveling with his greatest tormentor, Jun. Sighing, he turned his head and saw Labramon with her head in something. Finally it hit him that it was the pack which had the food the Muchomon gave them!

"Labramon!" he cried, although hushed his voice as to not alert the others. He then pulled his digimon's head out of the pack. Her face was littered with crumbs and juice. Sho looked inside and of course there was nothing inside.

"You ate all the food!?" Sho asked.

"Urp!" Labramon burped, as she licked her face. "Hee Hee I was hungry." Labramon giggled. Labramon's stomach then gave out a growl. "Is there anything else to eat?" she asked, innocently.

Sho gaped, "You're still hungry?" he asked. Labramon simply nodded her head, her tongue hanging out as she did.

"Oh…great." Sho muttered.

"What are the others going to say?" he said, burying his head in his shoulders. "Jun's gong to beat me up." He exclaimed.

"Beat you up!?" Labramon cried in surprise.

"Why would she do that?" she asked.

"She beats me up all the time." Sho said.

Labramon growled angrily. "That big, stupid, poopy headed meanie!" Labramon said angrily.

"How dare she! I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!" she said.

Sho then grabbed his digimon. Labramon looked back in surprised to see Sho hanging on to the back of her legs.

"Please don't Labramon. That will make it worse." He pleaded.

Labramon simply nodded and said "Okey dokey." She then sat down putting her face towards Sho who was now lying on the ground. "Besides it's my job to protect you and I will make sure to do that if she tries to hurt you." Labramon said, flirtatiously. As Labramon gazed in his eyes, Sho quickly rose to his feet, his face was flushed. Labramon simply giggled at that. Sho was glad that he had someone to protect him despite the fact she seemed a bit too affectionate. As long as he had someone to protect him, he was okay he told himself. He just wished he had someone like Labramon back home.

XXX

_Sho cursed himself as he said that remark. He had just told Jun she would get what was coming to her. For once he wanted to seem brave and thought that if he stood up to her she would lay off. But he was wrong and now Jun was probably going to beat him up twice as hard. He thought about telling someone but he figured it would make himself look more pathetic._

"_Whatever I do, this will never change." He said before walking off._

XXX

Sho sighed sadly at that memory. "Things still have not changed."

Just then Labramon tensed up and growled. "What's wrong girl?" Sho asked

"That bad smell again." Said Labramon.

"Bad smell?" asked Sho, He then realized what she meant. "Guys!" Sho shouted. "Look out!" Labramon cried, pushing Sho out of the way. A bolt of what appeared to be thunder struck the wall behind them. The others sensed what was going on and looked on at the area. "What was that!?" Sakura shouted.

Fairydramon had her claws ready. "Its seems we have been found." She said.

Gazimon and DemiDevimon looked around waiting for the battle DemiDevimon especially. Penguinmon simply cowered behind Jun.

In the darkness a figure could be seen it appeared to be a small wizard. He was holding some sort of staff. "A wizard?" Kazuya questioned. "Wizardmon." Gazimon said.

"So you are the ones who have been giving Boogeymon trouble?" Wizardmon said. "I can see why his rank is so low." Wizardmon said to himself.

On the sides DemiDevimon smirked. This was the chance he was waiting for. "Chiisi!" he said. Chiisi nodded his head in agreement and held up his digivice.

"**DemiDevimon Evolve! Devimon!**" Where DemiDevimon stood there was the form of Devimon.

The other digidestined and their digimon gaped in awe at Devimon's form.

Devimon rushed forward hoping to claw Wizardmon's neck out. Before he could reach him a wave of water struck in-between the two. "Don't hog all the fun Wizardmon." A feminine voice said. Everyone looked up to see a figure silhouetted against the moonlight. It looked like a witch complete with a flying broomstick.

"Witchmon is right." A male voice said. Seemingly out of nowhere a figure appeared. It looked like a samurai. "Boogeymon assigned us all to this task."

"Oh don't be that way Musyamon. I was just setting the stage for them."

The other Digidestined raised their digivices on cue.

"**Gazimon Evolve! Genkimon!" **Gazimon cried.

"**Fairydramon Evolve! Tiamon!" **Fairydramon cried.

"**Penguinmon Evolve! Saberdramon!**" Penguinmon cried.

The three champions stood there while Sho and Labramon watched on. "Wow so cool." Labramon said. Sho simply sighed feeling left out.

Tiamon and Saberdramon flew up towards Witchmon while Devimon continued his assault on Wizardmon

Genkimon looked up towards Tiamon. "The way she moves so beautifully." He said.

"Hey look out!" Kazuya cried. Genkimon snapped out of his daydream of him and Tiamon to see Musyamon charging towards him. Genkimon held up his arms in defense. Musyamon continued to swing his sword around.

In the air Tiamon and Saberdramon were trying to hit Witchmon with their attacks, "Tiamat Fire!" Tiamon shouted sending out a steam of fire.

"Black Saber!" Saberdramon cried sending out several black fireballs from his wings.

"Aquari Pressure!" Withmon cried firing a stream of water at the attacks. The water hit the fire evaporating it. Just then the steam began to swirl. As it swirled, the steam turned a sickly green color. "Poison storm!" Witchmon cried, sending the poison cloud at the two champions.

"Touch of Evil!" Devimon cried, as he continued his fight with Wizardmon below. "Magical Game" cried Wizardmon. Wizardmon then split into several copies.

Genkimon was having similar luck as well. Musyamon continued his onslaught on Genkimon. Both of them seemed to be evenly matched as they exchanged hits. As the battle raged on the children noticed something about their digimon. Their movements seemed to be getting slower.

"I see what they are doing." Chiisi said. "They're tiring them out."

"Chiisi's right." Said Kazuya. "These guys are much smarter than the other digimon we fought.

"So you finally get it." A familiar voice cackled. Boogeymon appeared before them a sinister smile on his face. "It seems my plan has been a success." He mused. "Hey you three finish them off!" Boogeymon shouted to his teammates. All three of them nodded in agreement.

Witchmon looked towards her tired opponents and then gazed up at the moon. "Baru Luna Gale!" she shouted. She then shot a stream of water from her right hand and a poison cloud out of the other. The two attacks seemed to join together, and soon a combination of poison and water struck the two champions. As soon as they were hit Tiamon and Saberdramon reverted to their rookie forms. "Fairydramon!" Sakura said rushing to her digimon. Jun did likewise.

Genkimon watched as Fairydramon fell. He then turned to Musyamon and said "You and your friends are going to pay for that!"

"Don't blame us. You and your companions were too headstrong…you especially!" Musyamon said, pointing his sword at Genkimon.

"You shut up! Genki Rush!" Genkimon cried as his body became enveloped in energy. He rushed toward Musyamon, but to his surprise Musyamon was actually holding him back. "Shogun Sword!" Musyamon cried. He then slashed his sword at Genkimon. Genkimon tumbled to the ground sideways as he devolved back into Gazimon.

The battle between Devimon and Wizardmon was not faring any better. No matter where he struck it was always an illusion. This was wearing the dark digimon down. I thought Devimon were supposed to be powerful digimon." Wizardmon said. Devimon growled at that remark. "I'll show you!" Devimon shouted. He then rushed towards Wizardmon but then he turned around at a split second and grabbed a second Wizardmon. Holding Wizardmon up high he said "Guess I found the real you." Devimon said with a smirk.

Wizardmon then grabbed Devimons arm."Thunder Blaster!" Wizardmon shouted. Soon electricity crackled all around Devimon. Devimon tried to resist the attack but soon he devolved.

"Yes I finally did it!" Boogeymon shouted, jumping in the air. Musyamon, Wizardmon and Witchmon surrounded the children and their digimon. " Oh I have plans for you brats." Boogeymon said, before he, his teammates, the digdestined and their digimon sank into the ground.

Unfortunately for Boogeymon, he failed to notice in his victory that Sho and Labramon were missing. The pair had remained hidden during part of the battle. They both peeked from behind the ruins.

"They're gone Sho-Chan." Labramon said sadly.

"Oh, great! What are we going to do now!" Sho exclaimed. Sho stood there uncertain on what to do, worrying what Boogeymon had in store for the others.

To Be Continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Boogeymon had just captured the others to who knows where and now Sho was all alone well except for Labramon. He paced back and forth holding his head. "What do I do?" he repeated to himself.

Labramon simply looked at her partner. She wanted to help him but how? Just then, a thought entered her head. "That's it!" she said to herself.

"Sho-chan" she said grabbing on to Sho's leg.

"Sho snapped out of his panic and noticed Labramon had her teeth clenched against his clothing.

"Just calm down." Labramon began.

"Calm down!?" he shouted. "How am I supposed to calm down when the others have been captured and I'm the only one left?"

"Exactly!" said Labramon. Sho raised an eyebrow at that. "Our only option is to save them!" Labramon exclaimed.

"Was there something in the food you ate? How are we supposed to fight those monsters and find everyone?" Said Sho.

"Well it's up to us!" Labramon proclaimed.

"Us what?" Sho questioned.

Labramon then giggled and said. "Why, rescue them of course, silly head. Yep, it's our duty as a digidestined and digimon to rescue our friends from that meanie Boogeymon." Labramon said, puffing out her chest.

"Okay, but how are we going to find the others?" Sho asked.

Labramon raised her paw as if she was going to answer but she quickly put it down. "I don't know." She said.

Labramon then began to pace back and forth. She occasionally shook her head as if she disregarded a bad idea.

As Sho watched his digimon pace, his eyes drifted towards his digivice. Picking up the orange colored device he began to fiddle with the buttons. After a moment of button pressing, the screen displayed four colored lights, red, blue, black and white. "Yes! I had a feeling this would work." Said Sho. Labramon stopped her pacing and perked her head up. "Look, this digivice can track the others." He said, showing Labramon. "Hey, but it says they are right here." Said Labramon. She was right. The blips on the screen were in the same area as Sho and Labramon.

"Well, maybe they're underground?" guessed Sho.

"That's it!" Labramon said. She then ran up to sho and began to rub against his leg. "Oh I have such a smart human!" she said affectionately.

XXX

Sho was right, the others were indeed underground. Below them lied forgotten chambers. They had held no signs of life for years, well until now. "Yes I did it! I finally did it!" Boogeymon shouted, happily to himself.

It had taken him a good while, but he finally had the digidestined in his grasp. The children and their digimon were chained to a wall. The digimon had their feet tied and their mouth muzzled to prevent any attacks. They struggled against their restraints but to no avail.

"Oh struggle all you want brats, but you aren't getting out." Boogeymon sneered, to the children.

"Let us go you freak!" Jun shouted.

"Not in this lifetime!" Boogeymon shouted.

"Oh, I've waited so long for this. Finally I will get the respect I oh so deserve." Boogeymon said dreamily.

Boogeymon imagined all of the praise he would get for capturing the digidestined. Maybe he would be promoted, he thought. He could just picture all of the armies under his control. "Boogeymon-sama has a nice ring to it." He said, to himself.

He then snapped out of his daydream and decided to get back to business. He walked over to Sakura snatching the digivice from her waist. He gazed at it before an idea hit him. "These things allow your digimon to evolve huh?" he said. "Well I think I can make better use of this."

He then took his pitchfork and tried to pry it open. Although he was having problems since it was small compared to his pitchfork. "Hey give me back my digivice." Sakura shouted. But Boogeymon simply ignored her.

"So any bright ideas leader?" Jun said.

"Hey I'm thinking!" Kazuya spat back.

"Yehg hth tghign." Gazimon said, muffled.

"Well I don't know how we can get out of this." Sakura said.

Chiisi looked up and said "No. There is another."

The others realized that indeed there were two others that Boogeymon had forgotten about.

"Were screwed." Said Jun.

XXX

Back on the surface, Labramon had begun to hastily dig ever since Sho had told her the others were underground.

"Gotta dig gotta dig dig dig!" Labramon said, continuously.

"Uh Labramon, I don't think we can reach them by digging." Said Sho.

Labramon stopped her digging and got out of the hole she had created. "But how are we supposed to get there?" she pouted.

Sho looked around a moment at the ruins before turning to Labramon. "Well maybe there's a way inside." He said. "Come on there has to be some sort of switch."

Sho and Labramon then began to feel the walls of the ruins looking for a way in. Just then, Sho's hand came across something. A piece of a wall sank in. The noise of moving stone caught the duo's attention. Their eyes turned towards a platform. Going towards it, they saw a flight of stairs that led down a dark hallway.

"Sho-chan you did it!' Labramon shouted, happily.

"Come on Sho–chan lets go rescue our friends!" she exclaimed heading down the stairs.

Sho stared at the darkness that the stairs lead to. In all honesty, he was afraid. He wondered what horrors awaited them downstairs. He did not know what was down there but his mind came up with several scenarios, in all of which he was dismembered alive. Labramon's voice then snapped him out of his thoughts. "Sho-Chan, are you coming?" Labramon asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah." Sho said.

Labramon then walked up to him and began rubbing her head against his leg. "Don't be afraid. I said I would protect you from anything." Labramon said, comfortably.

Nodding his head, Sho and Labramon crept down the stairs. Although he was afraid, Sho knew he was the others last hope. That thought made him even more nervous and afraid.

XXX

Boogeymon was in a blissful mood. In his mind, nothing was wrong and soon he would get the respect he felt he deserved. Well actually, that was how he felt a few minutes ago. Now his mind was frustrated. He was still trying to pry open Sakura's digivice. He had met with no success and it was making him angry.

"Why won't this thing open!" he shouted, throwing it the ground.

"Don't throw it like that." Sakura whined, under her breath.

As it hit the ground, a small beeping sound could be heard. Curious, Boogeymon picked it up and looked at the screen. On it was a small blinking orange dot. "What's this?" Asked Boogeymon. "Wait a minute." He said.

He then looked at the kids and their digimon and then realized he had made a fatal error. "I forgot one!" He shouted. Right before him, Boogeymon's dreams of grandeur were fading fast. "I won't stand for this!" Boogeymon exclaimed. He then stormed out of the room in a flash.

"Hey that means Sho's here!" Kazuya said excited.

"Just our luck." Jun said, sarcastically.

"Didn't it occur to Boogeymon that he could just kill us right now?" Chiisi asked.

The others simply looked at him questionably.

"Who's side are you one?" Asked Kazuya.

"Just stating the obvious." Chiisi said, simply.

XXX

Sho and Labramon tried to make their way thru the darkness. Sho felt along the walls. He was afraid that he would fall into a pit or something. Labramon stayed close to Sho in case something tried to attack them. She could sense his fear.

"Why does this place have to be so dark?" Sho asked. "I mean how did people see in here?"

Sho's hand then pressed against a piece of wall. It sank in, and soon the room was filled with light as several torches on the wall lit up.

"Sho-chan you're amazing!" Labramon exclaimed.

Sho smiled at his digimon's praise. "I just pressed a switch that's all." He said

"But when you do it it's amazing." Labramon said, fluttering her eyes.

"Okay." Sho muttered.

His eyes then turned to the chamber before him. Just before them was a room full of pillars. Sho and Labramon walked in cautiously. Sho looked around hoping that nothing would appear from behind the pillars. Labramon simply looked around for signs of any danger. After a few moments, things seemed peaceful. Even Sho was starting to doubt any danger.

"Wait Sho-chan." Labramon said, suddenly.

"What is it Labramon?" Asked Sho.

"The bad smell." Labramon said, growling.

At that moment, Sho felt something was behind him. He slowly turned around and came face to face with Musyamon. With a grunt he swung his sword. Sho managed to dodge at the last minute. The blade only managed to take a few strands of Sho's hair. Sho fell to the ground his eyes wide with fear.

"Come on Sho-chan, get up!" Labramon cried. She grabbed Sho by his shirt and pulled him up just before Musyamon swung his blade down, nearly severing Sho.

"Retrieve Bark!" Labramon cried. The shockwave hit Musyamon but merely seemed to annoy him.

"No good! Run!" Sho cried. The two then ran through the pillar room. Musyamon went after them in pursuit.

"Which way do we go?" Labramon asked.

Sho looked around with panic. "Graggh!" a voice yelled from behind. They turned to see Musyamon slashing his sword at them. "This way!" Sho shouted in a random direction. The two then ran towards a passageway. As soon as they ran into the room, a barrage of lightning and water came rushing towards him. Sho ducked out of the way of the attacks. Sh o then looked at his surroundings and his attackers. He and Labramon were on some kind of stone bridge. On the sides there was noting but a deep pit. Near the end of the bridge were Sho's attackers, Witchmon and Wizardmon.

"Well what do you know. There was another human down here." Said Witchmon.

"I suppose we should take care of him." Wizardmon replied.

Sho backed away. Labramon stood growling willing to defend Sho with her life. Sho turned around to see Musyamon blocking the exit. Sho looked around trying to find a way out. Then an idea hit him…a crazy one that is. "Labramon this way!" Sho shouted jumping into the pit on the side of the bridge."

"Sho-chan!" Labramon cried jumping in after him.

Sho and Labramon fell into the darkness and after what seemed like an eternity, a loud splash filled the chamber.

Sho floated in the water but then felt himself being pulled up. Labramon pulled Sho up above. Labramon pressed her paws against his chest. Sho coughed up some water. He slowly got up breathing heavily.

"Labramon?" Sho asked.

"Oh Sho-chan you're alright." Labramon said, happily. "What were you thinking?" Labramon scolded.

"I don't know!" Sho shouted. Labramon stepped back a bit at her partner's little outburst. "I couldn't think of anything else." He said.

"Well that's okay Sho-chan, just so long as you're alright." Labramon said. "As soon as you're ready we can go look for our friends."

"Labramon be realistic!" Sho spat. "There is nothing new we can possibly do! It was stupid to think I could do anything."

Labramon rubbed her head against Sho hoping to comfort him. "Don't be hard on yourself Sho-chan." She said.

"If you want to blame anyone you can blame me." She said.

Sho looked up at her confused. "Why would I blame you?" Sho asked.

"Well if I could evolve then I would have beaten those guys." Labramon replied.

"I'm not really a good digimon partner." Labramon said, sadly.

"But I still have faith in you. I believed you could rescue our friends from the moment we came in here."

Sho thought for a moment on what Labramon had said. Even though they were in a hopeless situation, she believed in him. Sho knew that he was the other's only hope. In fact he and the others were told that they were this world's only hope. Sho took his digivice and looked at it. With a look of determination he rose. "You're right." He said. He then pushed some buttons on the digivice until several small blips showed up. "Look we're close to where the others are." He said.

"Come on Labramon! Let's go find the others!" he said triumphantly.

"Oh my Sho-chan!" Labramon exclaimed happily.

"Oh no you don't, you little brat!" Sho and Labramon turned to see Boogeymon a few feet away from them.

"I won't let you little whelps ruin my plans!" Boogeymon shouted.

"We're not leaving without our friends!" Sho shouted, summoning up all his courage.

"Yeah so get out of our way!" Labramon shouted.

"Death Crash!" Boogeymon shouted, rushing forward. "I've got you-" Boogeymon said before crashing into the wall. Sho and Labramon had moved out of the way of his attack. "That was kind of sad." Sho said. Labramon nodded in agreement. The two then ran, following the blips on Sho's digivice. They ran until they reached a doorway. "This must be it." Said Sho. He then felt along the wall and sure enough, there was a switch. The door slid open. Before them were the others.

"Hey guys!" Sho said.

"Sho!" Kazuya, Sakura, and Chiisi cried.

"Sanbara you're here?" Jun said surprised.

Sho looked around for any sort of key to free his friends from their chains. He then noticed on a nearby table out in the open was a key. "He just left the key out in the open like that?" Sho said, surprised. "Well we are dealing with a moron." Chiisi said. Sho shrugged in agreement and went to free the others.

XXX

Boogeymon rose to his feet. His head pounded with rage and pain. "I won't let them get away with this." He said between his teeth. He then began to focus all of his energies and concentrated hard. Soon as if out of nowhere, viruses began to appear. These ruins, although old was the perfect place to store the viruses. The small black balls began to imbed themselves in Boogeymon sinking into his skin. "Yes…power…more power!" Boogeymon shouted feeling himself growing stronger.

Meanwhile above, Musyamon, Wizardmon, and Witchmon observed as the viruses disappeared below. Just then, three viruses imbedded themselves in the trio and before they could react, they broke into small clusters of data. The data then floated down and was absorbed into Boogeymon. His eyes began to glow blood red as he cackled wildly.

XXX

The digidestined rushed out of the room as soon as their digimon were free. As soon as they had made it out of the chamber, a large rumbling sound could be heard.

"What was that?" Kazuya shouted. Kazuya noticed Gazimon looked like he was ready to fight.

"Kazuya I have a bad feeling about this." Gazimon said.

The other digimon looked the same as Gazimon. Well except Penguinmon who merely cowered. The group then rushed out into the chamber where Sho and Labramon had escaped Boogeymon. In front of them stood Boogeymon. The only difference was that Boogeymon had numerous tentacles bursting out of his skin. Labramon backed away in fear. "The bad smell is so strong here." She said.

Boogeymon's body then began to grow and distort. The tentacles stretched up towards the ceiling making a large opening. He then pulled himself upwards and continued to break through the ceiling until what appeared to be moonlight came through.

"We have to follow him. Who knows what kind of damage he could do up there." Said Sakura.

"I'd like to kick that moron's ass more than anyone, but how are we going to get up there?" Asked Jun.

"Leave that to me." Fairydramon replied. "I could evolve and fly everyone up there."

"Are you sure you have the energy?" Sakura asked.

Fairdramon nodded her head. With that, Sakura held up her digivice.

"**Fairydramon evolve! Tiamon!**"

Jun looked at Penguinmon and said. "Well what are you waiting for?"

Penguinmon simply held his head down as Jun held up her digivice.

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**" As the two champions appeared, Sakura, Kazuya, Gazimon, Sho, and Labramon climbed on Tiamons back. Jun, Chiisi, and DemiDevimon held on to Saberdramons legs. They then flew upwards through the opening while making it bigger with their attacks. As they reached the surface, they gaped at what they saw. Before them was a large red blob, Tentacles covered its body. It soon hit them that this thing was Boogeymon. On the upper part of its body were Boogeymon's arms and head. Although they were more than a little malformed. The creature that had once been Boogeymon turned towards them and swiped his claws at them.

They managed to doge in time. Saberdramon and Tiamon landed and immediately let the kids off.

"We have to stop him." Exclaimed Kazuya.

"I'm with you partner!" Gazimon added getting into battle stance.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**"

DemiDevimon watched with glee. "I finally get a chance to kill that trash devil."

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**" Now stood four champions ready to fight. Labramon looked at her teammates feeling more than a little left out. "I wish I could evolve." She thought to herself.

"So, you all want to die? Fine by me!" Boogeymon roared.

Boogeymon swung his tentacles at the champions wildly.

"Tiamat Fire!"

"Razor Wing!" Devimon shouted, as dark energy blew out of his wings.

"Genki Laser!" Genkimon shouted, sending out a beam of energy from his hands.

"Mach Shadow!"

The four champions cried sending out their attacks.

The attacks hit Boogeymon dead on. He grunted in pain.

"I'm tired of this! I'll start with you." Boogeymon shouted.

A tentacle shot of his body and went straight for Sho. It wrapped itself around him and began to drag Sho towards Boogeymon. "Help!" Sho cried as he sank into Boogeymon's flesh.

"Sho-chan!" Labramon screamed.

"I want him to suffer." Boogeymon cackled.

This was all Labramon could take. Boogeymon had pushed her last nerve. "You give him back, you meanie!" She shouted, running towards Boogeymon. When she got close enough, she leapt at Boogeymon and began to dig into his flesh.

"What are you doing!?' Boogeymon shouted, shocked.

"Labramon!" the other digidestined and the digimon shouted.

Labramon dug her way through the blob-like mass. It smelled terrible in there, but Labramon was determined to find Sho. Then, she caught a glimpse of something. Sure enough, it was Sho. Labramon smiled as she dug toward Sho. Soon, she reached him and immediately covered him with her body. The red mass soon began to cover them. "Don't worry Sho-chan. I said I would protect you." Labramon said as she and Sho were enveloped. Just then Sho's digivice began to glow.

Labramon felt a rising power in her. "It's happening." Labramon thought to herself. "Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!" she cried.

Boogeymon felt something inside him.

"What?" he said. Boogeymon then cried in pain as something burst out of him. The figure stood before the digidestined. Sho on it's back. It set him down and gave him a lick. Sho awoke and looked at the creature that had saved him. Normally Sho would be afraid but he had a feeling who it was

"Labramon?" he asked.

"Yes Sho-chan it's me, but call me Shiisamon." She replied. Her voice sounded older,more mature. Sho stood up to see his digmon. Shiisamon was big enough for one person to ride on. She still had her creamy fur but her tail was now bushy and had a shining gold. Her paws were also bushy and golden with purple claws. She had golden spikes around her neck and a golden horn In the middle of her forehead. Other than the horn, she looked like a dog/lion hybrid.

"You evolved!" Boogeymon said, in disbelief and anger.

"Sho-chan, get back." Shiisamon commanded.

Seeing this, Boogeymon sent out another tentacle at Sho.

"Oh no you don't!" Shiismon shouted

"Sekkantou!" Shiisamon shouted. One of her front paws glowed a bright gold. She slashed at the tentacle, destroying it. Shiisamon then ran forward towards Boogeymon again. "Sekkantou!" She shouted as she leapt. Both her front paws glowed as Shiisamon dove into Boogeymon. She then burst thru Boogeymon, appearing behind him. She then dove back in leaving a second gaping hole.

"Come on everyone. Let's finish this." Shiismon shouted to her comrades.

The other digimon nodded and went towards their enemy. Boogeymon swung wildly hoping to hit them. "Tiamat Fire!" Tiamon shouted sending out another fireball. "Black Saber!" Saberdramon shouted sending out his own fireballs.

Genkimon and Devimon followed Shiisamons earlier example by diving into Boogeymon. "Genki Rush!" Genkimon shouted as he punched and kicked Boogeymons insides. "Touch of Evil!" Devimon shouted. He took extra glee as he clawed inside. Boogeymon screamed in pain as the digimon were latterly tearing him apart. The two then dove out of Boogeymon.

"I…won't…let you get away." Boogeymon said weakly.

"Tiidaiya." Shiisamon shouted. Her mane began to glow. Six shining arrows shot out of her mane and pierced Boogeymon. Boogeymon's body then began to convulse as the holy energy overtook his body.

"He's going to blow!" Genkimon shouted. Boogeymon's body than broke apart in deletion. However, before he completely deleted his body began to glow and a bright light overtook the area. The children and their digmon covered their eyes. When they opened them, there was no trace of Boogeymon.

"They did it!" Sakura shouted.

"Shiisamon you were incredible." Sho exclaimed, happily.

Shiisamon blushed at Sho's remark and then leapt towards him. Sho could only gape, as he was glomped by his digmon. Shiisamon was licking Sho affectionately, drenching his face in drool. The other children ran toward their digmon as well. As if on cue, the digmon devolved back into their rookie forms.

"I told you I would protect you Sho-chan." Labramon said. Just then, Labramon's stomach growled. "I'm hungry." Labramon said.

"I have to agree with the mutt, where's the food?" Jun asked.

Sho then remembered what had happened to the food.

"Well, uh, Labramon sort of ate it all." Sho said meekly.

"All of it?!" The other said in unison.

"You just let her?!" Jun shouted angrily.

"It was not Sho-chan's fault!" Labramon spat back. "So lay off him!" Labramon continued, getting in a defensive stance.

"Is that a challenge, mutt?" Jun asked taking a step towards Labramon. The forest was soon filled with cries of protest as the others tried to stop Jun from beating Sho and Labramon.

XXX

Boogeymon limped through the forest. He had managed to barely escape. He would have to plan something else. But first he would have to rest until then. He stumbled onto his knees.

"So, you failed again?" a voice said.

Boogeymon looked up to see the source……Duskmon.

"It wasn't my fault. They ganged up on me." Boogeymon said, weakly.

"Typical. Always making excuses." Duskmon said, coldly.

"You are nothing but a miserable failure. You can't even accomplish a plan you set out. "You disgust me." Duskmon spat.

"Please, give me another cha-." Boogeymon pleaded. But his pleas were cut short. Duskmon's sword now stuck thru Boogeymon's head. Boogeymon then deleted into nothing.

Drawing his sword, Duskmon vanished into the night.

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Duskmon stood alone in the endless abyss of darkness. His mind was full of the events that had transpired. All of the digidestined digimon had reached their Champion stages. So far, they had managed to face any challenge that they had come across. Even though they were mere humans, Duskmon found them interesting, especially the youngest one.

Leaving his thoughts behind, he opened a portal within the dark abyss. It was time for him to report. He materialized in an ornate chamber. A single digimon stood in there. "Duskmon." He said his voice deep and demonic.

"Demon I've come to report." said Duskmon.

Demon was a fearsome sight. His body was large and covered in a mix of purple skin and black fur. Several of what appeared to be bony spikes adorned his arms and legs. He had arched horns and large wings. His face seemed to be in a permanent evil grin and a blue jewel was in his forehead right above his yellow eyes. Messy black hair ran down like a mane. Also on his left shoulder, an image of a pentagram was imprinted.

"Well what do you have to report?" Demon asked.

"Well it seems Boogeymon has fallen in battle." Duskmon said.

"Is that all?" Demon asked. The lack of concern for Boogeymon's death was apparent in his voice.

"No." Duskmon continued. "The chosen digimon have all reached the Champion level."

"Hmmph." Demon said turning. "So they have evolved. That hardly concerns me." said Demon.

Duskmon was a bit surprised when he said, "How can this not concern you?"

"They have only reached the Champion stage. Hardly enough to deal with me." said Demon.

"I still find it hard to believe that mere human children were chosen as the Digital World's protectors." Demon spat.

"I think you may be getting a bit too arrogant in your high position Demon." Duskmon said.

Demon turned towards Duskmon angrily after that remark. Still Duskmon did not stand down.

"Boogeymon's tactics were ineffective but the fact that these children are still alive amazes me."

Demon clenched his fist as he said. "Digimon fall under the sway of the viruses every day, adding more to our forces. Those children and their digimon are just mere annoyances that will be crushed."

Duskmon turned towards the door, heading out. "Don't take things too lightly Demon." He said before leaving.

Despite his confidence, Demon was starting to feel a bit cautious. He would make sure these annoyances would not turn into threats. He would have to consult the other fallen angels.

XXX

It had taken a while to calm Jun down after she found Labramon had eaten all of the food. Still the kids decided to get some rest. They huddled around the campfire they had restarted thanks to Fairydramon.

"What a night." said Gazimon, flopping on his back.

"It stank in there." The rabbit mon continued, referring to when he and Devimon attacked Boogeymon from the inside.

DemiDevimon smirked and said. "I enjoyed ripping that piece of trash apart."

"That really was an accomplishment for us." Penguinmon said, feeling rather proud of himself for being brave.

Chiisi shifted uncomfortably before saying. "But still we have to wonder what comes next."

The others looked at him. "I mean, where are we supposed to go now? And who is going to come after us next?" He said.

"You really know how to be a killjoy." Kazuya said.

"He is right." Fairydramon said. "There is going to be more danger ahead."

Kazuya looked down in disappointment. Just when things were getting in a good mood.

"So what!" Labramon piped up. "If anyone comes after us then we'll just evolve and beat them!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Kazuya said.

"We have to think positively guys! I mean were the digidestined were supposed to save this world." He finished triumphantly.

"You said it partner!" Gazimon replied.

Kazuya's little spark of hope put them all in a better mood. Well, slightly at least. For now, they decided to get some rest and set out in the morning. It took a while for them to get settled, especially Labramon who whined that she was hungry. Luckily, Sho managed to convince his gluttonous digimon to be patient until morning.

As they slept, Sakura shifted in her sleep as an all too familiar dream was starting to play out.

XXX

Sakura gazed at her surroundings. She appeared to be in a bright white room. "Hello again, Sakura."

Sakura turned to see a familiar figure.

"You." She said. Before her was a child dressed in a hooded white robe. The hood was obscuring her face. It was the same girl Sakura had dreamed about at Dinohumon's place.

"All of you have done well, but Boogeymon was just one of the many servants of the evil that threatens the Digital World. "In order to combat the coming evil your digimon must evolve higher.

"Evolve higher?" Sakura questioned.

The hooded girl nodded and continued. "You and the other Digidestined must find the 12 digicores scattered across the Digital World. With their power your Digimon can evolve to the next level. The girl then turned and started to leave. Sakura reached her hand out and cried, "Wait I have so many questions. Who are you?" Sakura asked.

The hooded girl simply turned her head. Although Sakura could not see under the hood, she could tell the girl was smiling.

"Maia, my name is Maia." She said. Then she and the room vanished into a white light.

XXX

Sakura awoke with a start. "So you're up?"

Sakura turned around to see it was Fairydramon. "Oh good morning Fairydramon." Sakura said cheerfully putting on her glasses. "Where is everyone?" She asked noting the others absence.

"They went up ahead." Fairydramon replied.

"Well, I guess we better go join them." Sakura said.

Fairydramon looked questionably at Sakura, asking. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" asked Sakura.

"You seemed a little worried." Fairydramon said.

The pair joined up with the rest of the group and left the ruin site. The group walked their way through the forest path. The digimon and the kids kept a lookout for any signs of trouble. They were not sure whether a rogue digimon would jump out of the trees. Finally, Sho spoke, breaking the silence. "So where are we exactly going?" he asked. Kazuya stopped to think for a moment.

"Uh well, I have no idea." He said, sheepishly.

"You mean you're just leading us around aimlessly?" Jun asked.

"It's not my fault. That's really all we have been doing." Said Kazuya.

"We walk around and stuff happens."

"Yeah give him a break." said Gazimon.

"We can't just wander around aimlessly." Chiisi said.

Sakura stepped forward with something to say. "Um guys I have to tell you something."

Sakura then told them about her dream, Maia, and the digicores. After her story the others stared for a moment before Jun said. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"I didn't make this up!" Sakura shouted. "Besides, I had the same dream about Maia twice. It can't be a coincidence."

"I believe you Sakura." Kazuya said, stepping up.

"Oh you would." said Jun.

Kazuya blushed a bit and then quickly got angry. "It's not like that!" he shouted. "I mean, we have been in this world for two days and wherever we went, weird things have happened to us."

The others had to agree with Kazuya on this.

"If anything, this gives us a goal." said Kazuya.

"But what are digicores?" Sho asked

"A digicore is the nucleus of a digimon." Said DemiDevimon. "It holds all of our data and when we evolve more data is added to it."

"It also allows us to be reborn."

"Reborn?" Chiisi questioned his partner.

"When a digimon is deleted, its data is reconfigured and reborn as a digitama, so long as it isn't destroyed."

"Oh yeah. I remember Gazimon was in an egg when I found him." Kazuya said.

"But it's strange that digicores would be out in the world on their own." Said Fairydramon.

"All right it's decided. We look for the digicores." Kazuya said.

"But where are we supposed to look for them goggleboy? No one tells us where to go in this crazy world." said Jun.

"Don't you have a sense of adventure?" asked Kazuya.

"We just have to go search for them."

"But it's a dead end." Jun spat pointing at the forest path.

"Well there's always that way." Kazuya said pointing towards the dense jungle in front of them.

"I think those goggles are cutting off the circulation to your brain." said Jun.

"Well, where else do you think we should go?" asked Kazuya.

Jun did not have an answer for that. So, the others followed Kazuya deep into the jungle.

In the trees, several figures watched the group make its way into the forest. "Lady Dokugumon should be happy with this amount of victims." One of the figures said in a small grating voice. They then vanished working their way across the jungle. Finally, they reached their destination. One section of the forest was covered in spider webs. Several objects were stuck in the webs. The insect digmon assembled in front of a large spider digimon that lay in the webs.

"Oh great Lady Dokugumon, several interlopers have entered your domain." The insect digimon said bowing.

"You know what to do." Dokuguon said.

Speaking of them, the children had trekked their way through the jungle with Gazimon and Fairydramon clearing the path. So far, their little expedition had been fairly peaceful and uneventful…well, almost.

"You're leading us in circles!" Jun shouted.

"Would you quit riding me? I know where I'm going!" Kazuya shouted back.

"How could you know? This is a freaking jungle!"

The other digidestined simply sweatdropped as Jun and Kazuya exchanged insults.

"Don't those two ever stop?" Chiisi asked.

"I'm waiting till one throws a fist." DemiDevimon said, smirking.

Jun and Kazuya had started fighting ever since they had gone with Kazuya's plan of leaving the jungle path. The fighting seemed never ending with both sides criticizing each other.

"Oh come on goggleboy. You have no idea where you're going!" Jun spat.

"Well at least I'm trying to get out of here! All I have heard you do is complain!" shouted Kazuya.

"Well its hard not to when our so called leader is a loser." Said Jun.

Kazuya's face turned red as Jun insulted him. "The only loser here is you!" shouted Kazuya.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Jun.

"You're nothing but a bully! If you don't like being here then why don't you just go?" Kazuya shouted.

Jun turned away. "Fine, then I will." She said.

"Come on Penguinmon. Before I leave you behind."

"Jun." Penguinmon said, turning around before following his partner.

Jun and Penguinmon soon vanished into the jungle. "Well, we should get going." Kazuya said, flatly.

"You're just letting her go off like that?" Sakura said, shocked.

"Well, she wanted to leave." said Kazuya.

"Sho." Sakura said."

"Well, Kazuya has a point." Sho muttered.

Sakura gave a disgusted groan before she and Fairydramon went off in the same direction that Jun and Penguinmon went. Chiisi simply shook his head at Kazuya before he and DemiDevimon followed his cousin.

Kazuya gave an exasperated groan. "This is perfect." He said sarcastically.

"Well, I think we are better off without her!" Labramon said.

"Right Sho-chan?"

Although Sho felt good that Jun was gone, a part of him felt worried. Kazuya on the other hand was mentally cursing himself for being a jerk.

"Well, I guess we should go back for them." Kazuya said.

"What!?" Labramon yelped in surprise.

"Kazuya is right." Gazimon said.

"Besides, Jun has a good body, and it would be a shame if anything happened to it."

The others stared at Gazimon at that statement.

"What? She does."

"You really have a one track mind." Kazuya said, embarrassed.

As Kazuya and the others began to leave, Labramon said, "You people, minus Sho-chan, are nuts."

"Electro Thread!" Kazuya was then pushed out of the way by Gazimon. Kazuya saw a small thread of string that seemed to be conducting electricity.

"Kazuya, a digimon." He said.

Kazuya looked up to see an insect digimon. It looked like a yellow worm. It had several legs and two antennae. Its mouth area looked more like a beak and there were two blue stripes where its eyes should have been.

"What's that?" Kazuya asked.

"That s a Kunemon." Gazimon replied.

"Is he infected by a virus or something?" Sho asked.

Labramon gave a few sniffs. "No. He smells normal."

"Then I guess he just wants trouble." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon walked over stretching his arms. "All right leave it to me. I'll teach this guy a thing or two."

"Listen you…" Gazimon began. But before he cold say anything else, more Kunemon started appearing out of the trees.

"Oh." He said, sweatdropping.

"Electro Thread!"

XXX

Jun stormed angrily through the jungle. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. Penguinmon was trying his best to keep up with her but he was starting to lag.

"Um Jun, maybe we should head back." He pleaded.

"Shut up! I'm not going back! I'm sick and tired of those losers."

Then out of the corner of her eye she spotted what appeared to be a soda machine. "Finally, something good comes out of this." She took some money out of her wallet and made her selection.

"Jun, maybe you should…" Penguinmon began, but it was too late. The soda machine began to rumble and burst open. Several digimon came out of the soda machine. They were green and slimy with purple spots all over. They had two long eye stalks on each of their heads. The digimon soon disappeared into the jungle.

"There could be Numemon in there." Penguinmon said.

As Jun regained her composure, she noticed something on her. It was pink colored and had a spiral shape.

"What is this?" asked Jun.

"Well, the Numemon left it." Penguinmon said, he seemed a bit nervous.

"It sort of smells like…" Jun began. Her face then flushed red when she realized what it was. She got up quickly, knocking it off. She then began to kick the machine shouting. "I hate this place! I hate this place!"

"Jun!"

Jun turned around to see Sakura, Fairydramon, Chiisi and DemiDevimon running towards her.

"What do you want?" Jun asked, angrily.

"Jun please come back with us." Sakura pleaded.

"Hmmph! Well Miyamoto made it perfectly clear, that I was not needed in the group." said Jun.

"Don't mind Kazuya. We need to stick together." said Sakura.

"Would you can that crap? You're starting to sound too preachy." Jun spat.

Chiisi looked on as his cousin tried to convince Jun to go back with them. Suddenly, he sensed something.

"Sakura, Jun, something's here." He said.

"Electro Thread!" Several silk threads shot out from the treetops.

The others narrowly dodged it. "Fairy Flame!" Fairydramon shot a fireball into the trees. Just then a Kunemon fell out of the trees. His body slightly burned. Soon more Kunemon descended from the trees. The Kunemon shot out more electro threads at Fairydramon. They all hit her shocking her.

"Leave her alone!" Sakura cried, kicking one of the Kunemon away. Several Kunemon turned towards her. "Get the sacrifice." "Demi Dart!" DemiDevimon threw one of his darts at the lead Kunemon.

"Fairy Flame!" Fairydramon continued to fire fireballs at the Kunemon. "Retreat!" one of them cried. "Wait! Come back here, you cowards! Lady Dokugumon wanted all the sacrifices."

"What do you mean by sacrifices?" Jun asked.

Kunemon turned around to see Jun cracking her knuckles. He looked to see Sakura, Fairydramon, Chiisi and DemiDevimon blocking his only escape.

"I-I'll never tell." Kunemon stammered.

"Penguinmon!" yelled Jun.

"Y-yes." Penguinmon stammered.

"Its time you did something useful. Make him talk."

Penguinmon looked at the Kunemon a bit nervously. "Endless Slapping." He said without enthusiasm. He lightly tapped the Kunemon with his flippers.

"COME ON! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?" Jun screamed at Penguinmon. Penguinmon yelped and attacked again more forcefully. "Endless Slapping!" this time he slapped the Kunemon hard.

"All right, all right, I'll talk." Kunemon said, not wanting to take any more pain.

"Our mistress, Dokugumon, told us to bring anyone who treads in this part of the jungle to her as sacrifices."

"Dokugumon?" Sakura asked.

"Dokugumon is a spider digimon. Very ugly and a bit temperamental." said Fairydramon.

Chiisi then began pushing the buttons on his digivice. "Just as I thought." He said.

"What?" asked Sakura.

"Look." He said, pointing and showing the girls the digivice. On the screen were two blips moving away. A red one and an orange one.

"Kazuya, Sho!" Sakura exclaimed.

"We have to go after them." She said.

"I'm with you, even if I have to rescue that pervert Gazimon." said Fairydramon.

Chiisi and DemiDevimon simply gave affirmative nods although DemiDevimon smirked at the chance of a battle.

As the kids and their digimon ran off, the Kunemon sighed with relief.

Then he sensed something behind him. He turned to see Jun looming over him. She was cracking her other hand. Kunemon then gulped.

XXX

Deep within the confines of the castle, a meeting was being held. A large circular ebony table sat in the middle of the chamber. There were only three occupants in the room. Demon was one of them. The other two were mega level digimon like himself. One of them looked somewhat like a demonic rabbit and a jester. His eyes were bright yellow and his body was a mixture of green, purple, and dark blue. All arranged in a pattern. His ears were tattered and he had large arms. He was known as Cherubimon. The other present in the room looked like a human woman. She was dressed in a skin tight black suit with tendrils and a purple dress. Although her left arm looked normal, her right arm looked decayed. She also had some sort of headdress crown atop her black hair. Unlike her two companions, she did not seem to take place in the discussion. Instead, she stared at a black digitama she was holding.

"This is an outrage!" Cherubimon shouted, as he angrily pounded the table.

"Those humans destroying my precious viruses."

Cherubimon was the inventor of the viruses and very passionate about his work.

"Demon, what do you plan on doing about this?" He ranted.

"They are just humans, besides you can produce more viruses." said Demon.

"Still, these humans could jeopardize everything we have planned." Cherubimon retorted.

As Demon and Cherubimon continued arguing, Lilithmon continued to stare at the digitama as if waiting for something. The egg suddenly glowed for a brief moment.

Lilithmon's head shot up. "I understand." She said.

"Demon…" She began.

Demon and Cherubimon looked at her, surprised that she spoke.

"Cherubimon is right. Although children they may be, these humans and their digimon could ruin everything."

"We must dominate the Digital World to welcome his rebirth." Lilithmon said, stroking the egg.

Demon then got up form his chair and said, "Yes, I agree."

"It was foolish to think that a weakling like Boogeymon would be able to deal with those children."

"I will have to pick someone more suitable." Demon said, before walking off.

XXX

Kazuya snapped to consciousness. He looked around to see where he was. He was still in the jungle, except everything was covered in webbing. Various objects were in the webs. He tried to move, but found he couldn't. He realized that he was in the spider web. He looked frantically around to see Gazimon, Sho and Labramon right next to him.

"Guys, wake up!" he shouted.

The others groaned a little, but they too regained consciousness.

"Where are we?!" Sho asked frantically, trying to escape the web.

"Don't bother trying to escape."

They looked down to see several Kunemon assembled.

"You are more than welcome to scream, lady Dokugumon loves it when her meals scream." the Kunemon said.

"Meal?" Sho asked.

Just then, a low growl was heard. A figure appeared out of the jungle. It looked like a giant spider. She wore a yellow horned mask with several green eyes and wild orange hair. She wore bands on her six legs. Her front legs looked like little arms.

Dokugumon made her way towards the four of them. Kazuya and Sho tried their best to get out of the web.

"Electric Stun Blast!"

"Retrieve Bark!"

Gazimon and Labramon tried to attack but their aim was off. Their heads were too stuck for them to turn them.

"Guess this is the end." Sho thought.

"Fairy Flame!" a fireball hit Dokugumon. She screamed from the heat of the flames.

Kazuya, Gazimon, Sho and Labramon felt themselves hit the ground as the web collapsed. They turned up to see Jun wielding a big stick.

"Jun?" Kazuya said, surprised.

"Don't thank me. Kodiro would probably nag me if I didn't." said Jun.

"Kodiro?" Kazuya turned to see Sakura and Chiisi, and their digimon, fending of the Kunemon.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Kazuya

"We followed you with our digivices." Said Chiisi, holding up his digivice.

"Besides, I couldn't leave you hanging, Kazuya." Sakura said, cheerfully.

Sho sighed and said, "Its like I'm invisible."

"I'm glad you're safe Sho-chan." Labramon said, giving Sho a lick.

"If we're done celebrating, she looks pissed off." Jun said, pointing to Dokugumon.

Dokugumon recovered and growled angrily at the digidestined.

"Leave this to us." Gazimon said, getting into a battle stance.

"You guys ready?" He asked the other digimon.

"This time I agree with you." Fairydramon said.

"Another fight! I love this!" DemiDevimon said, excitedly.

"You tried to eat my Sho-chan! I won't forgive you!" Labramon growled.

"I hope we don't get deleted." said Penguinmon.

The digimon then took off in different directions as Dokugumon growled.

"Electric Stun Blast!" Dokugumon growled from the paralyses attack.

"Poison thread!" She cried, shooting out a web from her mouth. Gazimon narrowly dodged it.

"Retrieve Bark" Labramon's attack hit Dokugumon, clearly injuring her.

"Demi Dart!" DemiDevimon smirked as the needle struck Dokugumon. "See how you like poison." He said.

"Fairy Flame!" The flames licked Dokugumon.

"Ice Prism!" A shard of ice materialized in front of Penguinmon. It then shot towards Dokugumon. Penguinmon was relieved he had an attack where he did not have to get in close.

"Poisen Mist!" Dokugumon shot out a stream of poison at the rookies. They all fell to the ground from the poison.

"Yay, Yay, Lady Dokugumon. The Kunemon cheered, waving their legs into the air.

The digidestined gasped as their partners fell to the ground. But as Dokugumon stepped forward, they slowly began to rise.

"I'm afraid it will take more then that to defeat us!" Fairydramon shouted.

The other digimon shared her look of determination.

"Everyone, lets combine our attacks!" Gazimon shouted.

"Electric Stun Blast!"

"Retrieve Bark!"

"Ice Prism!"

"Demi Dart!"

"Fairy Flame!"

All the attacks hit Dokugumon. She shrieked as she collapsed. She was out cold.

The Kunemon gaped at their fallen leader. Then they looked at the digimon who glared at them. In a flash, the Kunemon ran off deep into the jungle.

"All right they did it!" Kazuya shouted. He and the others ran to their digimon to congratulate them. Each of them congratulated their digimon. Even Jun had to give Penguinmon some credit.

"Um, this isn't easy for me to say." Kazuya said, stepping up to Jun.

"I'm sorry." Kazuya said, although a bit under his breath.

"Well, this time I am in the forgiving mood goggleboy." said Jun.

"I'd watch what you say around me, though. It's obvious you need me and the wimp."

Kazuya groaned at her words. "Well, we should get going. Those digicores aren't going to find themselves." he said.

"That kid seems like a hopeless optimist." DemiDevimon said.

"It's what Kazuya does." said Chiisi.

XXX

Demon sat in the main chamber. He was waiting for someone. The doors opened and a figure stepped in the room.

"SkullMeramon." said Demon.

"You called Demon-sama?" SkullMeramon said.

"The human children have arrived." Demon began.

"I need you to eliminate them."

SkullMeramon began to chuckle and soon his chuckling erupted into maniacal laughter. His body lit up in blue flames illuminating the room and himself. His body seemed to be made of blue flames. Chains were wrapped around his chest. He wore a pair of pants with flame designs on them. His face resembled a mask with black and red eyes. His blue flaming hair was shot up.

"I'd be more than happy to deal with those humans." SkullMeramon said.

"I'll leave at once at alert all of my underlings." He said bowing to Demon.

"Excellent." said Demon.

To be continued……


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Well here is chapter nine I finally got it uploaded. Well I hope you enjoy it.

The whole hanger was alive with movement. Several digimon went about their business getting things ready for takeoff. What appeared to be a large blimp sat in the hanger. The blimp was in fact a digimon. It was a Blimpmon to be exact. The Blimpmon was large and orange and of course shaped like a blimp. The only difference was the arms sticking out on the sides and the eyes in the front. The last thing that separated it from other Blimpmon was the red flames painted on the sides.

A figure stepped into the busy hanger. It was SkullMeramon. He looked at the Blimpmon, his personal vehicle. He gave a light chuckle as he recited his orders in his head. He stepped into the control room of the Blimpmon. Several green digimon were busy at the various controls. They were called Goblimon. Like their namesake, they looked like goblins. Their red hair was done up in a mowhawk. They wore brown colored vests as well.

As SkullMeramon entered the room, The Goblimon stopped for a moment and looked nervously at SkullMeramon, as he seated himself in a large chair in the center of the room.

One of the Goblimon timidly stepped up. He began talking in a shaky voice. "What are your orders, boss?"

SkullMeramon simply laughed in response. The Goblimon backed away out of fear. "Set a course for the continent of Folder." Said SkullMeramon. "I've been given orders to deal with the human children."

"Of course sir, we just have to make a few more preparations." The Goblimon said.

"What!" SkullMeramon said, rising from his chair. "IS this thing ready for flight or not?" SkullMeramon continued.

"Well yes, but we have to check on the systems and-" The Goblimon was cut off as SkullMeramon struck the ground with his chain. He held the chain pulling it.

"Listen you little imp. I want this thing up in the air now!" Said SkullMeramon.

"Right away sir!" The Goblimon said. Outside, alarms blared as a hatch in the roof opened up. The Blimpmon rose into the air and soon was heading towards its destination. Inside SkullMeramon pushed a button on the control panel of his chair. "Attention everyone this is your boss speaking." He spoke. "I have some specific targets I want you to hunt." He continued. "Be on the lookout for five humans traveling with a Gazimon, Labramon, Penguinmon, DemiDevimon, and a Fairydramon.

SkullMeramon's fist flared up as he clenched it. "Capture them but don't kill them. I want that pleasure." SkullMeramon said, sadistically. Laughing to himself, SkullMeramon pictured frying the children. He imagined their screams, their flesh melting off, and their cries for help. "Just you wait humans. I'll make your lives a living hell when I arrive."

XXX

Meanwhile, the digidestined remained blissfully unaware of what was coming, but whatever worries they had, were now completely erased. They had finally managed to escape the jungle.

"See, I told you guys we were going the right way." Said Kazuya.

"Well, you actually got us out, goggleboy." Said Jun.

"Hey, don't forget I helped Kazuya." Gazimon said. "Guess you could call me a co-leader." Gazimon boasted. "Impressive huh?" he motioned towards Fairydramon.

Fairydramon snorted a plume of smoke. "Were you talking to me?" She said flatly.

Gazimon looked at Kazuya and said, "Uh, hey Kazuya, shouldn't we get going? After all, we're the leaders."

Fairydramon simply rolled her eyes at Gazimon's attempts to impress her. "That rabbit never learns." She thought to herself. "Try not to let it get to you too much." Sakura said, putting her hand on Fairydramon. They had only walked a few steps when a new sight was set before them. Just below was a vast valley and in the middle was a lake that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"That lake is huge!" Sho said, in amazement.

"Well, it looks like we have to cross that thing." Said Kazuya.

"Well how do you expect us to cross that, huh?" Jun asked.

"Well I haven't exactly figured that out yet." Kazuya said.

"Hey look. There's some sort of house there." Penguinmon said.

Sure enough, there was some sort of house next to the lake. Right next to it were some tilled fields, which showed whoever lived here, grew food.

"They might have goodies!" Labramon said excitedely, noticing the field. She then quickly ran off.

"Guess we should follow her lead." Kazuya said. The others followed Labramon trying to keep up with the hungry digimon. Labramon finally came to a stop once she reached the house. The others finally caught up to Labramon who was now prancing around the house. "Come on, someone knock on the door so I can get yummy food!" Labramon said, excited.

"Labramon we can't just knock on someone's door and beg for food." Sho said, slightly scolding.

"But I'm hungry!" Labramon pouted. "Besides you promised that I could eat something in the morning and its morning." she said.

"I could use a little food myself." Fairydramon said, putting a claw to her belly. Everyone had to agree, all of them were hungry.

"Well only one way to find out." said Kazuya. Kazuya stepped up to the door. Just as he was about to knock, the door exploded into several splinters of wood. Kazuya was sent back by the explosion knocking him to the ground.

Two digimon jumped out of the doorway landing on the ground. One of them looked like a rabbit with large floppy rabbit ears. Its fur was white with green stripes on its ears and some green at the tips. On top of its head was a single horn. The other digimon looked the same except it had brown and pink where the green and white should be. While the other digimon had one horn, this one had three smaller horns.

"You dummy see what you did!" the white digimon said.

"What I did!? It was your fault!" the brown digimon said.

"Jerk! Creep! Ninny! Dunce!" The two shouted at each other. They then lunged at each other. While the two of them wrestled with each other, the kids and the digimon simply watched and sweatdropped.

"Uh, excuse me." said Sakura.

The two digimon looked up to see the group. "Oh, customers!" Both digimon said in unison. They got up and made bowing motions. "I'm Terriermon." the white digimon said. "I'm Lopmon." "And welcome to the Brother Lakeside Rafting!" They both said, striking poses.

"Okay." Chiisi muttered at the strange display.

"So, what brings you folks here?" Terriermon said. He then waltzed up to the group. "So, what brings you folks here?" He asked.

Sakura raised her hand to speak. "Well, we just-"

Terriermon started speaking again, interrupting her. "Why, you're here to get across the lake. Of course! Why else would you come here?" Terriermon said. "Well, here at Brother Lakeside Rafting you can rest assured that your trip will be safe and comfortable." Terriermon continued.

"Well, that's a nice offer, but we were just wondering if we could get some food. We're all really hungry." said Sakura.

Terriermon frowned and said. "Sorry kid. I'm running a business, not a charity."

"Brother! How can you be so cruel?" Lopmon said.

Lopmon then bowed saying, "It would be my pleasure to offer you some food."

"Hey, hold on a moment!" Terriermon said. "Look, we're trying to run a legitimate business." He said to his brother.

"But they're hungry! We should be good hosts." Lopmon retorted.

"Look, I'm the oldest and what I say goes!" argued Terriermon.

"Oldest?! We're twins you baka!" Lopmon argued.

"What did you call me?!" Terriermon yelled back.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" Lopmon yelled.

The two then glared at each other. The kids prepared themselves for another argument. "Alright, fine! We'll let them have some food." Said Terriermon.

"Yay! Food!" Labramon yelled, running into the house. The others soon followed her. As Lopmon ushered the kids inside, Terriermon smirked to himself. "I'll just add it to the bill." He said, before joining everyone inside.

Inside, the kids and their digimon seated themselves, while Lopmon and Terriermon went to get some food. They soon came back with what appeared to be meat and fruit. "Well, I hope you like this. We grew the meat and fruit ourselves." Lopmon said.

"Wait! You grew meat?" Sho asked, in surprise.

Yes." Lopmon answered, innocently.

"_This world gets stranger and stranger."_ Sho thought to himself. The digimon dove into their food, especially Labramon. The digimon quickly wolfed down their food before their partners. In moments their food was gone. "Wow, you guys were hungry." Kazuya said. "Well, we need the energy if we want to evolve." said Gazimon.

"Oh it's so nice to have guests. We have not had any in a long time." Lopmon said.

"We're trying to attract customers, not guests." Terriermon added, bluntly.

"Is the only way past here across that lake?" Chiisi asked.

"Yes, that's why we opened up a shop, since digimon would have to cross the lake.

"Well, I guess we need to cross the lake." Kazuya said.

Terriermon's expression lit up after that. "Well, in that case, my brother and I will get the raft set up!" he said, dragging Lopmon with him.

"Well, his mood changes quickly." said Jun.

Just then Terriermon popped out of nowhere. "Alright, the raft is ready!"

"He works fast." Chiisi said.

As the group started to leave, Labramon started to pout. "But I'm still hungry!" She whined. Seeing that her cries were unnoticed, Labramon sighed and said. "Wait for me, Sho-chan!"

They followed Terriermon to the edge of the lake. Waiting there was a large raft that could easily fit all of them. "All right! Just kindly step onto the raft." Terriermon said. The kids and their digimon soon boarded the raft. After everyone was onboard Terriermon and Lopmon pushed the raft from the shore with their oars and soon they were off.

"Say, this is safe right?" Penguinmon asked.

"Getting scared already?" Jun asked, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"No, I was just looking out for you." Penguinmon said. Although this was only a half truth.

"Don't worry! My brother and I have rafted here for years." said Lopmon.

"The only thing you have to worry about is the river this lake leads into." said Terriermon.

Penguinmon backed away a bit from that comment. Jun simply sighed in annoyance at her digimon's cowardice. "Show some backbone! It's just a river." Jun said.

"Don't worry about protecting the pretty ladies, Penguinmon." Gazimon said. "That's my job." he said, leaning towards Fairydramon. Just then a loud splash was heard as Fairydramon smacked Gazimon into the river. "Pervert rabbit." Fairydramon muttered under her breath.

"You should probably give the flirting a rest on this trip." Kazuya said, helping the soaked Gazimon back onto the raft."

"Heh. Well this trip might be interesting." said DemiDevimon. "Now only if we were attacked by an evil digimon."

"Don't jinx us." said Chiisi.

They raft moved through the lake at a leisurely pace. Soon, they could see something ahead. It appeared to be a large wall of rock. In the middle was an opening big enough for the raft.

"What's that ahead?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, that's just the opening to the river. It gets a little choppy, here on out." Terriermon replied.

"You didn't tell us about a river!" Sho said, frantically.

"Don't worry. My brother and I are experts when it comes to this river." Lopmon reassured Sho. The raft made its way into the opening. The kids began to feel that this raft trip might not be so bad after all. For once in awhile they felt safe traveling in the Digital World. Up ahead the water seemed to ripple and distort. Then out of nowhere, the water began to form a whirlpool.

"Watch out!" Kazuya shouted.

Terriermon and Lopmon managed to avoid the whirlpool but just as they had turned, another whirlpool appeared from the opposite side!

"Everyone hang on!" Lopmon shouted. The raft shifted roughly avoiding the whirlpool.

"Hey, I thought you guys said this would be safe!" Jun said.

"Something like that has never happened before." said Lopmon.

The raft continued to trek through the water but wherever they went, a whirlpool appeared.

"Where are these things coming from?" Sakura asked.

"Last time I checked, whirlpools didn't pop up like this." said Kazuya.

Labramon then began to growl. "The bad smell is here." She said. A loud crash then filled the area as the raft broke apart. A whirlpool had opened up beneath them. The whirlpool sucked them under. They held their breaths as they spiraled in the water. Just as they had thought it was over, they felt hard ground beneath them.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Kazuya.

"Does it look like I am okay goggleboy, I'm soaked!" Jun said.

"I didn't mind the water, Jun." Penguinmon said, innocently.

"No one asked you!" shouted Jun.

Chiisi turned his attention somewhere and said, "Look at that!"

They looked to see a large spiral of water shooting up from a lake towards the ceiling. Further gazing at their surroundings, they realized they were in some sort of cave.

"Well, that's strange." Fairydramon said, commenting on the water spiral.

"How come the water is like that?" Gazimon asked.

"Maybe there's a virus involved." said Sho. "Labramon said she smelled a bad smell and that usually means a virus."

"Then I guess that means an infected digimon is behind this." Chiisi said.

DemiDevimon smirked and said, "Well, that means things could get interesting."

"Whatever digimon we have to fight, I'll handle it personally." Gazimon said, cockily.

Terriermon's face got serious for a moment. "Well, this will really put a number on your bill."

"Bill?" everyone questioned.

"Of course. There's the cost of the raft trip, the trip length and the recent destructions of the raft." Terriermon said.

"You mean you're charging us for all that?!" Jun shouted.

"Of course. I'm running a business." Terriermon said, with his arms crossed.

"I can't believe how greedy you're being brother!" said Lopmon.

"What are you talking about?" Terriermon replied.

"You can't just charge them! Especially for things like that!" said Lopmon.

Terriermon growled in anger at his brother's response. "I'm sick of this! You have no business sense!" he said.

"Yes I do, but I think we should be fair to them!" Lopmon said, crossing his arms.

The two of them glared daggers at each other. Before the others knew it, Terriermon and Lopmon lunged at each other. The two of them wrestled on the ground, biting and clawing each other. The children and their digimon simply sweat dropped at this display of sibling rivalry.

"Shouldn't we stop them? Sakura asked.

"We should probably let them work it out and not get involved." said Fairydramon.

"Bunny Blast!" Terriermon shouted, shooting out a large concentrated energy blast at his brother.

"Blazing Ice!" Lopmon shouted, shooting out small crystalline bolts from his mouth. The two attacks hit each other sending both digimon back. The two quickly got up ready to go at each other again. "Shut Up!" a voice rang out of the chamber. A loud splash was heard as a figure erupted from the pool in the cave. At the same time the spiraling whirlpool in the middle of the pool dissipated. The water washed away revealing who it was. It was a large serpentine digimon. Its scales were blue and it had a small red arrow shape at the end of its tail. The front of its face was golden with gold frills. Its eyes were blood red, signifying a virus.

"A Seadramon?!" both Terriermon and Lopmon said, in unison.

"So, that thing must be causing the whirlpool." Kazuya guessed.

Gazimon stepped up with a confident look on his face. "Everyone just stand back and let me handle this guy." He said. "Ready Kazuya?"

"Ready Gazimon." Kazuya said, holding up his digivice. It began to glow as he held it.

"**Gazimon evolve, Genkimon!**" Gazimon now stood in his champion form.

"He evolved without a digimental?" Lopmon said, in shock.

"Well it looks like a fight. This will really add to the bill." Terrermon said. Lopmon simply glared at his brother in disgust.

Genkimon ran towards Seadramon and leapt towards him. "Genki Rush!" he shouted, as his body was enveloped in blue energy. He landed a punch right in Seadramon's face. Seadramon growled in response, "Ice Winder!" Seadramon shouted, breathing out small ice arrows. Genkimon simply deflected the arrows with a few punches and kicks.

"All right, Genkimon!" Kazuya shouted happily to his partner.

Genkimon smiled. "This is perfect! I'm going to beat this guy and Fairydramon will have to be impressed." Genkimon said to himself.

"Ice Blast!" cried Seadramon.

Genkimon was so confident that he did not see Seadramon attack. Genkimon was then enveloped in a blast of icy water.

"So cold." Genkimon said. The attack had made him so cold he could not move. Seadramon took this opportunity to attack. He grabbed Genkimon with his tail wrapping him up. Seadramon then began to squeeze with all his might. Genkimon cried out as his body was being crushed.

"Genkimon!" Kazuya cried out.

Fairydramon sighed in annoyance. "Genkimon needs help." She said. She then turned to Sakura. Sakura held up her digivice in response.

"**Fairydramon evolve, Tiamon!**" Fairydramon cried.

Tiamon flew towards Seadramon while Terriermon and Lopmon stood on the sidelines surprised that another digimon had easily evolved. She rammed into Seadramon causing him to loose his grip on Genkimon. Tiamon took the opportunity to grab him. "Oh Tiamon, you do care!" Genkimon said, happily. Tiamon rolled her eyes and continued to attack Seadramon.

"Ice Blast!" Seadramon cried, breathing another stream of icy water.

"Tiamat Fire!" Tiamon's fireball collided with the water, creating a large cloud of steam. Tiamon then rushed through. "Ember claw!" she cried. Her front claw was enveloped in flame as she struck Seadramon. Seadramon screamed as he was deleted. The only thing remaining was a small black virus that soon deleted as well. Tiamon landed on the ground and devolved back into Fairydramon. As soon as she had devolved, Gazimon rushed to her hugging her.

"Oh my sweet Fairydramon, can it be your heart feels the same as mine?" he said. His response was a quick punch to the face.

"Just be grateful I saved you from being deleted!" Fairydramon said angrily.

As the group went over to Fairydramon and Gazimon, Terriermon immediately stood in front of them.

"How did you evolve?" he asked.

Kazuya held up his digivice and showed it to Terriermon. We made the m evolve with this thing. It's called a digivice.

"That's incredible! Normally it takes years for a digimon to evolve!" Lopmon said. "The only way I heard a digimon could evolve instantly is by using a digimental. And those aren't easy to come by."

"If we're done talking I'd like to get to the surface." said Jun.

They then trekked through the cave, trying to find their way to the surface. Soon they made it, happy to see sunlight.

"It looks like the caves lead us past the river." Sakura said.

"Ahem! There is still the matter of the fee." Terriermon said.

"Brother that's not fair!" Lopmon said, in annoyance.

"Don't start that again!" Terriermon said.

Soon the two started arguing again. "Maybe we should just walk away." Chiisi said quietly. The others nodded in response and quickly walked away from the fight. As they walked explosions could be heard in the background. The whole group simply sighed and sweat dropped.

XXX

"Sir we have the signals." one of the Goblimon replied.

SkullMeramon stood up from his chair. "Are you sure?" he asked.

The Goblimon nodded and said, "Yes. One of the infected digimon encountered the human children. We were able to use the virus signal to get a lock on the digivices. Unfortunately, we were able to get only two signals."

SkullMeramon gave a chilling laugh, "That doesn't matter. They're most likely traveling together in a group and we should be able to track them."

Sitting back in his chair, SkullMeramon mused to himself. "Oh just you wait humans. I'll make you wish you stayed in your own world."

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10

The children walked a good distance from the arguing bunny brothers. Once the sounds of explosions stopped, they knew they were clear.

"Are you sure it's right for us to just leave without paying?" Sakura asked.

"Positive. You heard that crazy rabbit wanting to charge us for all that." Said Jun.

Sakura looked down feeling guilty. "But still, he was trying to run a business. We could have at least paid them for the raft ride."

"Well what's done is done. Besides, what are the chances of us seeing them again?" said Kazuya.

Despite what Kazuya said, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little guilty. But that worry was quickly pushed out of her mind. The only thing everyone wanted to do was know where they were supposed to go.

"This walking and waiting to see what happens is getting a bit old." Gazimon said.

"I know. I want some action!" DemiDevimon said.

"Just be patient." Chiisi said to his partner.

As they continued walking, they noticed something up ahead. "What's that?" Chisi asked. Walking closer, they then realized it was a sign.

"Driver City." Kazuya read. "A digimon city?" Kazuya questioned.

"Well it says city, goggleboy." Jun said. "But why the heck is it called Driver City? Does it have something to do with cars?" she questioned.

"I think it's supposed to refer to a computer driver." Said Sho. Everyone nodded in agreement at that remark.

"Well I guess we should head out then. Driver City here we come!" Kazuya said.

"You think we'll run into any evil digimon?" Penguinmon asked.

"Hopefully." DemiDevimon said.

"Besides Penguinmon, we beat anything that came at us, especially me." Gazimon said confidently.

"Overconfident aren't you." Said Fairydramon.

XXX

SkullMeramon tapped the chair angrily. "Can't this thing go any faster?!" he shouted. The Goblimon cringed in fear at their master's outburst.

"But boss, if we push the boosters any harder we could overheat." a Goblimon said.

SkullMeramon then threw his chain around the neck of that Goblimon pulling him up to his face. The chains began to heat up causing the Goblimon to squirm in pain.

"Listen, I was ordered to deal with the human children and I intend to do that job." SkulMeramon seethed. "Now either turn up those boosters or I'll send you back to Primary Village the painful way!" He finished dropping the Goblimon.

The Goblimon clutched his burnt throat gasping for air. "Back to work!" SkullMeramon yelled whipping his chain. The Goblimon scrambled back to his station fearing deletion. The other Goblimon then began pushing buttons on the consoles. There was a sudden shake as the Blimpmon's boosters sped up. Inside, the Goblimon were nervous that the Blimpmon might explode. SkullMeramon didn't care though, the only thing on his mind was killing the digidestined.

XXX

"Whoa." Kazuya gaped. The group had followed the sign to Driver City and soon they arrived in no time. Before them stood the city, a large wall made of metal. Above the wall, they could see several buildings dotting the area.

"Well I guess we should go in." Kazuya said.

"Last one in is a rotten digitama!" Gazimon shouted, running towards the gate. Kazuya joined his partner but before they could go any further, several bullets rained down. Kazuya leaped back while Gazimon latched onto his leg.

"Hold it right there!" A commanding voice said. Everyone looked to see several digimon appear. They looked like small blue T-Rexs but they were dressed in army gear, complete with helmets and rifles.

"Hey, who do you think you are shooting at?!" said Gazimon.

"We Commandramon have been appointed to protect this city from any infected digimon." The lead Commandramon said.

"Well our digimon aren't infected and we're humans, so there's no way we could have viruses." said Kazuya.

The lead Commandramon gave a hand motion and soon the other Commandramon spread out amongst the group. They looked at the digimon mostly in their eyes.

"They all check out sir." One of the Commandramon said.

"Very well, then. You are free to go." The lead Commandramon said. "But you will be apprehended if you try anything funny, welcome to Driver City."

"Gee thanks." Jun said, sarcastically.

The Commandramon ignored that comment and ushered the kids and their digimon inside. As they entered, the Commandramon dispersed back to their positions. The group looked at the city. Digimon of all shapes and sizes walked around the city.

"Look at all the digimon." said Sakura.

"Well where do we go now?" asked Sho.

"Anywhere we want." said Kazuya. "I think we should take this chance to see the city and buy some supplies."

"That sounds like a plan Kazuya." said Gazimon.

"We should all meet back here when we're done." said Sakura. The others nodded in agreement. Sho, Labramon, Jun and Penguinmon each went off in different direction with their respective partners. Before Kazuya and Gazimon could leave, Kazuya felt a tug on his jacket. He turned to see Sakura.

"I'd rather stick with you." She said.

"Well alright." said Kazuya

"Yes, we can talk about love." Gazimon said flirtatiously towards Fairydramon.

Fairydramon prepared herself to breathe a Fairy Flame at Gazimon, but stopped noticing the various Commandramon surrounding the area.

"Just be glad the law is here, rabbit." Fairydramon said, anger and annoyance evident in her voice.

"If it's alright with you guys DemiDevimon and I are going to explore by ourselves." said Chiisi.

Chiisi and DemiDevimon started to leave, but then Sakura stopped them. "Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

"Relax. The kid will be fine with me." DemiDevimon said. Sakura then reluctantly allowed them to go.

"Hey, don't worry I'm sure they'll be fine." Kazuya said. Sakura smiled, nodded, and left along with her best friend and their digimon.

XXX

"Hard to believe a city like this is standing with all those infected digimon around." Sho said in amazement. "Everything seems to be peaceful." He said, as looked at the digimon walking around.

Labramon then began to sniff. "That smell is so yummy!" she said, her mouth watering until saliva practically flowed out of her mouth. Labramon ran off towards the direction of the smell. Sho followed her trying to keep up. They soon came to a large banner. "Enter the eating challenge, eat 30 curry rice bowls and win a prize!" Sho read aloud.

"Oh Sho-chan let me enter!" Labramon said, excitedly.

"What?" Sho asked.

"Please! "I'm so-" Labramon began.

"Don't tell me, you're hungry." Sho said.

"Uh-uh, so please please, please!" Labramon begged. Sho looked down at Labramon, her eyes were wide and she was making whimpering noises.

"Well alright. Who knows, the prize could be one of those digicores we were looking for." said Sho, finally giving in.

"Yippee!" Labramon said. Labramon practically leaped towards the sign up area and soon she was a contestant.

"Welcome contestants!" An Agumon announcer spoke out of a loudspeaker. "The rules are simple. Whoever eats 30 bowls without giving up wins the special prize. Begin!" the announcer said. That was all Labramon needed to hear. Sho watched as his digimon ate her food with gusto. She was completely out eating the other contestants. A small piece of rice then spattered onto his cheek. "Oh boy." He muttered under his breath.

XXX

Jun and Penguinmon walked the streets of the city. Jun looked around hoping something would catch her interest.

"What's wrong Jun?" Penguinmon asked.

"For a city, this place is boring." Jun said. "There's got to be something to do." She continued. "Hey there!" Jun exclaimed. Something had finally caught her eye. A few feet away from them was a large sign that said, arcade. Jun and Penguinmon stepped inside. Inside was a row of arcade machines. Various digimon were playing them, giving shouts of joy or anger at their success at the games. "My kind of place." Jun said. Jun spotted a machine that she decided to play. Penguinmon watched his partner play the game. Well, he was too short to see the screen, but from the way his partner moved she seemed to be having difficulty.

A loud beep then came from the machine. "Game over! You gotta be kidding me!" Jun said angrily. She put more money into the machine. Just as she had started though, another beep sounded from the machine. "I just started! Stupid crappy machine!" She shouted.

"Jun, please calm down." Penguinmon pleaded. But his cries were not heard as Jun had just wasted more of her money. "Piece of junk!" Jun shouted, kicking the machine.

"Jun please stop. Everyone is staring!" Penguinmon pleaded.

"Stop that, miss!" a voice said.

"Back off! This stupid machine is fixed." She spat.

"Maam, I'd advise you to stop kicking that machine." The voice said again. Jun felt something grab her. Jun punched in reaction. She faulted when she realized whom she had punched. It was a Commandramon and he did not look too happy.

"Oh crap." said Jun.

"I told you, you should've calmed down!" said Penguinmon.

Jun then grabbed Penguinmon and ran out of the store as quickly as she could. Before she left, she heard the Commandramon shout something. However, she was more concerned with getting away.

XXX

Chiisi looked around deciding where to go. He was hoping for somewhere secluded. He turned towards an alley. Various digimon were operating stands obviously conducting business of questionable values.

"Yoo hoo! Oh boy!" an effeminate male voice said.

"Just keep walking kid and don't make eye contact." DemiDevimon said. He was too late however as Chiisi had turned towards the source of the voice.

At a small stand stood a thin digimon that sort of reminded Chiisi of an alien. Its distinguishing feature was its large brain.

"Greetings, I'm Vademon. Care to have your palm read?" he asked.

"A palm reading?" Chiisi questioned.

"Yes. Normally, I charge for this, but for you it's free of charge!" Vademon said, waving his hand.

Reluctantly Chiisi held out his hand, which Vademon took. Chiisi looked a little weirded out as Vademon had his palm read.

"Well you're an interesting little boy." Vademon began. "I see some very difficult battles ahead. You seem to have an affinity for darkness."

That immediately caught Chiisi's attention. "Darkness?" Chiisi asked.

"Yes. It seems to have taken a special liking to you." said Vademon. "You have worries about that, but in the end you and darkness will confront each other."

Vademon let go of Chiisi's hand. "Well that's it. Have a nice day. Buh bye." Vademon said, with a wave. Chiisi raised an eyebrow as he left.

"That guy was a weirdo." said DemiDevimon.

XXX

"That looks like a good place." said Sakura, pointing towards a store. Kazuya, Gazimon, and Fairydramon followed her inside.

"Wow, check out all this stuff!" said Kazuya. The shelves and tables were packed with all sorts of odds and ends. Upon seeing all the things to buy, Kazuya and Gazimon rushed off.

"Wow, look at this!" Kazuya said, excitedly

"Hey Kazuya, check this thing out!" Gazimon, said excitedly.

"Well Kazuya always did like to shop. It seems Gazimon likes it too." said Sakura, noting their similarities.

"If only Gazimon had a clean mind. Then things would be perfect." Fairydramon said, shaking in disgust as thoughts of Gazimon entered her head.

The pair then continued to look around for something to buy. After browsing for a few minutes, the two of them found something they caught their interest.

"This is perfect." Sakura said, picking up a large handbag. "We could store things in here."

"I think this could help us as well." Fairydramon said. She was holding a map of the entire continent of Folder. Just then they heard a loud crash.

"What do you think you two are doing!" A loud male voice shouted.

"Kazuya and Gazimon." Sakura and Fairydramon said in unison. The two of them found Kazuya and Gazimon standing over a broken pile of porcelain. They looked down wringing their hands.

"That was an expensive portable toilet. You two will have to pay for that!" The store owner, a Nanimon shouted angrily. Kazuya looked up and seemed happy to see Sakura.

"Sakura, we're best friends, right?" he asked, sweetly.

"Um yes." Sakura replied.

"This guy has a "you break you buy it" policy apparently, so could you mind paying for this?" Kazuya asked.

"Why can't you pay for it?" Sakura asked.

"Well I'm a little strapped for cash at the moment, so please could you do this just this once."

Sakura looked at her friend. Finally she pulled out her wallet. "You take yen?" she asked the Nanimon.

XXX

Chiisi and DemiDevimon were nearing the end of the alley.

"Chiisi Hey!" a female voice shouted. Chiisi and DemiDevimon turned to see Jun with Penguinmon in the crook of her arm.

"Jun what are you-" Chiisi questioned. He was cut off as Jun grabbed him and went into the alley. Several Commandramon ran past the alley. Jun poked her head out to see if the coast was clear.

"Well it looks like they're gone." She said, putting Penguinmon down.

"What was that about?" asked Chiisi.

"Oh nothing. Just a little misunderstanding." Jun lied.

"But you punched him." said Penguinmon.

"Nobody asked you!" spat Jun.

"Hmm, trouble with the law. Should be interesting if they find you." DemiDevimon said, with a smirk.

Jun looked around until she spotted a commotion. "Look there's a crowd we can hide in." She said grabbing Chiisi.

"But they're not looking for me!" Chiisi shouted. The group made their way through the crowd. They then spotted a familiar face. "Sanbara?" said Jun.

Sho turned around and said, "Oh, hey guys." He said.

"What's going on?" asked Chiisi.

Sho pointed towards something. It was Labramon. She was busy stuffing her face with a bowl of curry rice. Two large piles of bowls towered beside her.

"If you're wondering what's going on, it's simple." Sho began "Labramon entered this contest. Whoever eats thirty bowls wins a special prize."

"So did she win?" asked Penguinmon.

"Yes, she won, but she kept asking for more."

"How many is she on?" asked Jun.

Sho sighed with embarrassment. "I lost count at fifty eight."

Labramon continued to wolf down her food until finally she stopped. She then fell back with a crash.

"Labramon!" Sho cried. He and the others ran to Labramon and gaped at what they saw. Labramon lay on the ground with a dreamy look on her face. She licked her muzzle making sure to get any bits of rice. She patted her belly (which was now rather fat after her little pig out) sighing as she did. "That was yummy!" she exclaimed "Oh hello Sho-chan." She said. Labramon then gave a loud belch. "Excuse me." Labramon said, placing a paw to her mouth.

Sho looked down in embarrassment, especially after he heard some murmurs in the crowd that sounded like pig or glutton.

"The winner of our contest is Labramon who ate a record breaking one hundred bowls!" The Agumon announcer said. "Here is your prize, free tickets on the Locomon express!" The announcer said handing Labramon some tickets. "See? I knew this was a good idea, Sho-chan."

"If you say so." Sho said, embarrassed.

"Can we get some desert now? I only stopped eating because they ran out." Labramon said. Just then, Sho fell back hard on the ground.

"Sho-chan?" Labramon asked.

"Sho must be really embarrassed by now." said Chiisi.

"Well maybe if she eats anymore, we'll get to see her explode!" DemiDevimon said, excitedly after hearing Labramon.

XXX

In his Blimpmon, SkullMeramon watched gleefully as the red and white blips on the screen were getting closer. Pushing the boosters had indeed brought them to Folder much faster. Now all SkullMeramon had to do was wait till he reached their destination.

XXX

Kazuya, Sakura and their digimon were walking back to the meeting place. Since they had left the store, Sakura had been rather angry.

"Come on Sakura. I said I was sorry." said Kazuya.

"Well I don't know why you had to go touching everything!" Sakura said angrily. "I'm just glad I had enough to buy the map and handbag but now I'm broke!"

"It wasn't my fault. I spent all my money at the camp vending machines!" Kazuya said. "The camp food was lousy."

Gazimon sighed and shook his head. "It's sad when friends fight, isn't it?" he asked Fairydramon, placing his arm around her. A small vein then appeared on Fairydramon's head.

"Hey guys!" the group turned to see Chiisi, Sho, Jun and their digimon walking towards them (or in Labramon's case waddling).

Kazuya and Sakura waved back.

"So did you guys buy anything?" Sakura asked.

"None of us did." Chiisi said. "But we did get some train tickets."

"Hey, what happened to Labramon?" Gazimon said, as he noticed the size of Labramon's belly.

"Well, for once we have to thank this mutt for being such a glutton, because she won us these tickets in an eating contest." Jun said, flashing the train tickets.

"Hey, I'm not a glutton!" yelped Labramon. "Um Sho-chan, what's a glutton?" Labramon asked Sho.

"It's a person who eats too much." Sho replied.

"Well how is that a bad thing?" Labramon asked innocently. Sho simply gave an exasperated sigh.

"Well we should all get going. I mean we have to save the world and all." Jun said.

"Are you feeling okay?" Sakura asked.

"Of course. Never better. Now we should get going." said Jun.

"Freeze!" Everyone turned to see a large group of Commandramon aiming their guns at Jun.

"All right. You and the Penguinmon are coming with us.

"What did you do now?!" asked Kazuya.

"Can it goggleboy!" Jun spat

"She got mad and broke a machine." answered Penguinmon.

"I said can it!" Jun shouted.

Just then a loud explosion rocked the area. Everyone turned to see several buildings explode. Several digimon were caught in the explosion, deleting them. Everyone looked up to see a blimp like shape in the sky. A figure appeared to be descending from it. Finally, the figure landed. Flames scattered from the impact of the landing, deleting the Commandramon instantly. SkullMeramon had arrived and he was ready to fight. SkullMeramon gazed at his surroundings until the digidestined were in his line of sight.

"Well, now that they're out of the way, we can get down to business."

"Who are you?!" Kazuya said, defensively.

SkullMeramon laughed and said, "Well where are my manners? I'm SkullMeramon and I'm your executioner for today. Don't worry. I'm very good at my job." He said, gleefully.

The kid's digimon became defensive, even Penguinmon who only trembled a little bit.

"Oh, that's right. So you'd all like to be heroes." said SkullMeramon. "Well fine by me then!" he shouted swinging his chain around.

The kids looked worried. They were not sure whether their digimon were able to handle him. "Hey don't worry. We can handle this guy." Gazimon said, as he noticed Kazuya's worried face. The kids held up their digivices, which were now shining with light.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**"

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**"

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**"

"**Fairydramon evolve! Tiamon!**"

The five champions stood there, ready to fight. Shiismon then looked down at her stomach. "Hey my tummy shrank, now I can eat more!" she said happily.

"For once focus on something other than food." Tiamon scolded.

SkullMeramon gave a hand motion that simply told them to bring it on. "Genki Rush!" Genkimon cried. Genkimon rushed at SkullMeramon with a punch. To Genkimon's surprise, SkullMeramon simply stopped it with his hand. SkullMeramon then knocked Genkimon aside with a punch.

"Is that it?" SkullMeramon mocked.

Tiamon and Saberdramon flew up in the air while Devimon and Shiisamon rushed at SkullMeramon.

"Sekkantou, Touch of Evil!" Shiisamon and Devimon both cried. Both Devimon and Shiisamon pressed their attacks against SkullMeramon. SkullMeramon was clearly struggling against both their attacks.

"Genki Laser!" a bright stream of energy struck SkullMeramon. "Aaggh!" SkullMeramon cried out in pain.

"Now guys!" Genkimon shouted, to Tiamon and Saberdramon.

"Black Saber, Tiamat Fire!" Saberdramon and Tiamon cried. Twin streams of fire enveloped SkullMeramon. Devimon and Shiisamon jumped out of the way, so as not to be burnt by the flames.

"We got him!" Genkimon cried.

"Alright!" Kazuya shouted. The others joined in Kazuya's excitement. All of a sudden, the flames departed revealing SkullMeramon, very much alive.

SkullMeramon cackled wildly. "What were you thinking using fire against a fire digimon?!" Besides, what could five Champions do against an Ultimate level digimon like me?" SkullMeramon questioned, mockingly.

"An Ultimate level?" Sakura questioned.

"He must have evolved higher." said Chiisi.

"Flame Chain!" SkullMeramon cried. Two chains extended from his body reaching up towards Saberdramon and Tiamon. The chains wrapped around their necks choking them. With a mighty pull, SkullMeramon pulled them down. He then jumped in the air, the chains leaving the two digimon as they hit the ground. "Heavy Metal Fire!" SkullMeramon cried, breathing out a stream of blue fire. Tiamon and Saberdramon cried out in pain as the flames licked them. SkullMeramon landed, cackling all the while.

"Tiamon!" Sakura cried.

"Saberdramon!" Jun cried.

Both Saberdramon and Tiamon managed to survive the attack, however. "Oh you're still alive. Well that's okay. I'm having fun." SkullMeramon said, cackling.

"I'm getting real sick of that laugh." Jun said annoyed.

"Kazuya! You and the others need to get out of here!" Said Genkimon.

"But what about you guys?" Kazuya asked.

"Hey, don't worry about us. Besides, I won't stop till I kill this bastard." Devimon said, clenching his claws.

"It's our duty to protect you guys!" Shiisamon cried, with enthusiasm.

For a moment, the kids looked reluctant to leave their partners behind. But, they soon took off running. The five Champion digimon stood ready to fight. SkullMeramon simply smiled and rushed at them.

XXX

Behind them, the kids could hear explosions and their partners crying out their attacks. Sho looked back for a moment thinking about going back. He was worried about Shiisamon.

"Don't look back, Sanbara!" Jun shouted. "Besides, we need to think about getting out of here."

"Any ideas?" Kazuya asked.

Jun simply flashed the free tickets. They rushed through the streets looking for the train station. After a bit of searching, they found a huge sign that said "Locomon Express." They rushed inside, but just as they were about to board, Sho stopped.

"I'm not going." He said. The others turned toward him.

"Are you nuts, Sanbara? That psycho is after us!" said Jun.

"I can't leave Shiisamon!" Sho shouted.

"Sho's right! Our digimon are out there fighting for us and we just can't leave them behind!" said Kazuya.

Sakura and Chiisi nodded in agreement. "Well, alright." Jun agreed.

A loud explosion shifted their attention. Their digimon came flying through the main gate, devolving as they hit the ground. As the kids rushed to their digimon, SkullMeramon stepped through, his whole body flaming.

"Well, now that they're out of the way, I have always wondered how humans would burn!" said SkullMeramon.

The children's digimon rose to the ground, still having some fight left in them.

"Oh don't worry. I'll finish you first!" SkullMeramon said, preparing to finish the Rookies.

Just then, several rounds of gunfire sounded, as several Commandramon fired upon SkullMeramon. Taking that moment, the children grabbed their digimon and went inside the Locomon. As if on cue, the Locomon took off.

As SkullMeramon fought off the many Commandramon, he noticed the Locomon leaving the station.

"Damn it!" He shouted angrily, lighting up his entire body.

Inside, the digidestined were relieved to have gotten away. But little did they know, their troubles were just beginning.

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

A/N Chapter 11 is here hope you enjoy.

The Locomon speed along the tracks away from Driver City. Inside, the digidestined nursed their injured digimon.

"Damn that SkullMeramon, if I was there a bit longer I would have beaten him." said Gazimon.

"He beat all of us, I doubt you would have made any difference." DemiDevimon spat.

"Says you! OW!" Gazimon said, wincing at his wounds.

"Try not to strain yourself." Kazuya said. "You really took a beating back there."

"Well what are we going to do now?" Sho asked. "SkullMeramon is probably going to hunt us down. "I don't want to go anywhere near that psycho."

"Yeah look at all the boo-boos he gave me." Labramon said, whimpering.

Everyone looked depressed. Their digimon had been beaten all at the same time. To make matters worse, their new enemy seemed smarter and more ruthless than Boogeymon ever was. Kazuya stood up as he looked at the other digidestined's listless expressions.

"Hey we can beat this guy!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"What are you talking about? You saw how he tossed around our digimon." said Jun.

"But we just can't give up because of one lost battle!" Kazuya continued. "We beat Boogeymon and we can beat this guy!"

"How you can be so optimistic?" Jun asked.

"Because, I just have a gut feeling that everything will turn out okay." Said Kazuya.

Sakura smiled at Kazuya's confidence. "I think you're right Kazuya." Said Sakura. "I think as long as we are together, we can accomplish anything."

"Don't you think that is a bit cliché sounding?" asked Chiisi.

Sakura then sweatdropped. "My point is that when we fought Boogeymon, we were together and we beat him."

"Technically our digimon did all the fighting." said Sho.

Sakura sighed saying, "You guys aren't making this easy."

Fairydramon then got up from her seat. "If Sakura wasn't there then I couldn't have evolved." said Fairydramon. "The same can be said for the rest of us."

Fairydramon was right. Although the digimon did do all the fighting, they would not have been able to evolve without their partners. They both needed each other and together they had won many battles. But the recent battle had drained them a bit. SkullMeramon seemed too powerful

"Look, everything's going to be alright." Kazuya reassured.

"Yeah, so stop acting depressed!" Gazimon chimed in.

Still, everyone minus Sakura and Fairydramon did not look any happier. "Well two out of seven is a start." Kazuya thought to himself

"Say, where is this train going anyway?" Sakura said, looking around.

"Yeah I know, we went in here in a rush and we don't know our destination." said Sho.

The group got up and went into the next car. They looked around in the next car but just when it seemed empty, they spotted someone.

"Hey, let's ask that digimon." Sakura said, pointing to a lone passenger. The digimon in question looked very sleepy. It had a long yellow body with a pair of brown rubber pants. A small bubble was coming from his nose.

"It's a Neemon." said Fairydramon

"Oh, looks like he's asleep." Sakura said, a bit disappointed.

"Hey, wake up!" Jun said, shaking the digimon.

"What are you doing?" Kazuya asked.

"What does it look like? This guy doesn't look like he's getting up anytime soon." said Jun.

"But that's not very nice Jun." said Penguinmon. But Jun simply ignored him and continued to shake the Neemon. Neemon continued to sleep though. Jun then pulled on Neemon's pants and then let go. A loud snap was heard as Neemon's sleep bubble popped awakening him with a start. He yawned and said in a blank sleepy tone "Good morning!"

"Uh, good morning." Penguinmon, said, waving his flipper.

"Excuse me, but where is this train heading?" asked Sho.

The digimon looked like he was thinking about something real hard and then he said, "I don't know."

Everyone stared blankly at the Neemon.

"What do you mean you don't know where this is train is going? You boarded it!" Jun shouted.

She sweatdropped noticing Neemon had fallen asleep. "Come on, wake up!" she said, continuing to shake him. But Neemon continued to sleep. Giving an angry growl, Jun shook him harder "LISTEN YOU LIITLE FREAK, IF YOU DON"T GET UP NOW I'LL MAKE YOU SORRY." Jun shouted, causing everyone to wince.

Neemon woke up startled. "Are?" he said, in a questioning tone. Neemon then swelled up like a balloon to everyone's amazement. But what came next was a bigger surprise. In an instant Neemon deflated and soon the whole car was filled with gas. At that moment the train car was filled with panic.

"Ah, it smells!" Gazimon shouted.

"My nose burns!" Labramon shouted. Labramon was really suffering since her sense of smell was more sensitive.

"My eyes. I think I'm blind." Sho shouted. His eyes were full of tears.

"Someone open a window!" Kazuya shouted. The others obliged and opened as many windows as they could. DemiDevimon and Fairydramon flapped their wings hard in the hopes it would blow as mush as the gas as possible outside. Soon the gas was gone and the smell had mostly left.

Jun just sat there dazed. Her right eye was twitching and one end of her hair was singed. Apparently she was right in front of Neemon when he uhh… attacked.

"Is there a problem here?" a female voice asked. "What's that smell?" the voice asked.

The digidestined turned to see a pinkish digimon pushing a cart. On top of the digimon's head was what appeared to be a shrimp in a bun.

Labramon took one look at it and cried out hungrily. "Shrimp Burger!"

The digimon screamed as she saw Labramon leap toward her followed by a large crash. Despite all the commotion, Neemon remained asleep.

"Deep Sleeper." Chiisi noted, before rushing off to help pry the perpetually hungry Labramon off the poor digimon.

XXX

Driver City was in shambles. The once peaceful city was in an uproar as the inhabitants tried to flee from the viruses. The small black objects flew through the air imbedding themselves in the flesh of any digimon unfortunate to stray in their paths. The infected digimon soon began to rampage. The whole city was in chaos.

Several buildings blew apart as an angry cry roared out. It was SkullMeramon and he was not happy.

"THEY!" He breathed a Heavy Metal Fire at a building. "GOT!" He struck his flame chain at the ground. "AWAY!!!" He shouted flaring up his entire body. He could not believe that the digidestined got away. He was so close to killing those humans. He could almost hear their screams…that is, until those Commandramon had gotten in his way. By the time he deleted them all, the Locomon had sped off.

Venting his rage on the surrounding area had calmed him a bit, but it was still no substitute for killing the digidestined. "Well, at least Driver City is under our control. The fallen angles should be pleased." said SkullMeramon.

He turned to his Goblimon henchmen and ordered, "All right. Get the Blimpmon started. I can still catch those humans!"

"Um, sir there is a small problem with that." A Goblimon said.

"Problem?" asked SkullMeramon.

"Well, the Blimpmon's engines are blew out after we pushed the boosters." The Goblimon said.

"Well get them fixed now!" SkullMeramon said, his body flaring up.

The Goblimon ran off in fear to fix the Blimpmon. SkullMeramon growled in anger. Today was not his day.

"Things not working out?" a voice asked.

SkullMeramon turned to the source of the voice only to see Duskmon. He stood in the shade of a building against the wall.

"Duskmon!" said SkullMeramon in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Duskmon closed his eyes for a moment and listened. "You seem to have created quite a bit of chaos here." said Duskmon. "I'll be sure to report your successful capture of this city to the Fallen Angels."

Duskmon then looked away towards the direction of the train station. "However the digidestined escaped." Duskmon said flatly.

"A minor setback!" SkullMeramon retorted. "Once my ride is operational again, I'll pursue them."

"You sound sure of yourself." said Duskmon.

SkullMeramon gave a slight smirk, "Of course. I've honed in on the signals of their digivices." He said. "I can track them anywhere."

"Well, I have to say I'm impressed, and that's very rare." Duskmon said, flatly. "But you have been given additional orders."

"Additional orders?" SkullMeramon questioned.

"Yes. My reason for being here was to give you those orders." said Duskmon. "Our efforts to find the digi-cores have bore no fruit. You must find them before those children do." Duskmon continued.

SkullMeramon growled in annoyance. "I was sent to kill those brats and their digimon pets! Not look for some digi-cores!" he shouted.

"Fool! If those children find the digi-cores then they will have the power to evolve their digimon further!" Duskmon said, anger starting to creep in his voice. "Now, I suggest you add that to your to do list, or perhaps I should tell the Fallen Angels about your refusal."

SkullMeramon gasped slightly before saying reluctantly "Fine! I'll inform my underlings."

"Good." With that, Duskmon sank into the shadows that the building created.

SkullMeramon gave a slight growl. Then he headed back to the Blimpmon to inform his underlings of their additional assignments.

Meanwhile, Duskmon floated through the endless dark abyss. If the digidestiend found the digi-cores, it could ruin their plans.

"Damn you Maia." Duskmon said. And with that, he disappeared into the darkness.

XXX

Back on the train, the digidestined were busy cleaning up the mess Labramon had made.

The snack cart lay on the floor, various delicacies lay ruined. "I apologize for Labramon's behavior." Sho said. "Labramon." Sho mentioned to his digimon.

Labramon put her head down and whimpered. "I'm sorry. its just that I thought your hat was a shrimp burger." She said apologetically.

"Well I'm not a shrimp burger! I'm an EbiBurgermon!" she said, wringing her hat free of Labramon's drool.

"Labramon being constantly hungry is getting repetitive, wouldn't you say?" Chiisi asked, DemiDevimon.

"Yeah, but gluttons are gluttons." DemiDevimon replied.

EbiBurgermon had finished wringing her hat dry. She put it back but she grimaced after noticing it was slightly wrinkly. "Now if you all could kindly go back to your seats." She said. Annoyance was evident in her tone

"Um, excuse me, but where is this train going?" asked Sakura.

"The Locomon is scheduled to arrive in Seaside Town." EbiBurgermon replied." "Now, if you would all get back in your seats please."

"Uhh it wouldn't be too much trouble to ask for some yummy treats?" Labramon asked, innocently.

EbiBurgermon simply gave a glare. "Uh heh, I thought not." Labramon said, nervously.

Suddenly there was a sudden jerk, knocking everyone to the ground.

"What's going on?" Kazuya asked, frantically.

"Locomon why did we stop?" EbiBurgermon asked.

"The tracks are gone." A deep voice said, out of nowhere.

"The train is talking?!" Sho said, surprised.

"Well it's Locomon Express, so it has to be a digimon." said Chiisi.

Everyone (minus Neemon) exited the train. When they reached the front of the Locomon, they gaped at the tracks or lack of tracks. Indeed the train tracks had vanished or more precisely, they were smashed.

"What kind of digimon did this?" asked Sho.

"Something big obviously." said Jun.

Then out of nowhere, a strange mist started to appear. Sakura was the first to notice it as it crept by her leg. Soon the fog became thicker as it enveloped the area. Everyone was soon lost in the mist, as they couldn't see an inch in front of them.

"GRRRR." A low deep growl, emanated from the mist. Sakura frantically turned. Fairydramon stood by her side claws bared. "Kazuya?! Chiisi!?" she asked, panicked. "Anyone?!"

"Sakura something's coming!" said Fairydramon. Right in front of them, a pair of glowing red eyes stared at them. Another growl rang out.

"Get behind me Sakura!" Fairydramon commanded. Sakura did as she was told and got behind her digimon.

The eyes grew closer. Soon a figure was starting to form. Fairydramon bared herself ready to attack. Sakura stood there afraid. Just then, Sakura's digivice glowed brightly. The figure in the mist gave a pained growl as the light from the digivice hit it. Just then, the mist cleared.

"Where are we?" asked Sakura. After the mist cleared, Sakura and Fairydramon now found themselves in a flower field. Flowers of all kinds stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Well this is new." said Sakura.

"Indeed." said Fairydramon.

The pair began to walk through the field. Fairydramon was on guard all the while. This place looked peaceful enough, but the dragon digimon was not one to be fooled by appearances. As they continued to walk Sakura heard a beep from her digivice. She looked at it and smiled. On the screen were four dots, red, orange, blue, and black.

"Everyone's here." She said in relief.

The pair followed the digivice signals. Sure enough, the others were in another part of the flower field.

"I'm so glad everyone's okay." she said, running up to Kazuya. Kazuya was lying down in the flower field with a dazed expression on his face.

"Of course we're fine Sakura. Everything here is happy." Kazuya said, dazed.

"Come on you two. There's plenty of room." Gazimon said, patting the ground.

The two then gave satisfied sighs. At that moment Sakura felt something was wrong. "This is not right." Sakura said.

"I don't know. I like this Gazimon better." said Fairydramon.

Sakura ignored her and turned to her head to see Chiisi and DemiDevimon sitting a few feet away from them.

"Chiisi, DemiDevimon!" She shouted.

As soon as she rushed to them, Chiisi turned his head. Sakura gasped at what she saw. Chiisi was smiling wide and happy. Chiisi rarely smiled or at least Sakura had barley seen him smile like this.

"Oh, hello cousin! Nice day isn't it?" Chiisi said, happily.

"Yeah, so sit down, shut up and enjoy it." DemiDevimon said. Whatever had happened to them, DemiDevimon seemed hardly effected.

"There's Sho and Labramon!" Fairydramon said, pointing. They found Sho and Labramon lying on the ground. Sho simply stared up at the sky.

"Who's that?" Sho asked, staring up at the sky. He absentmindedly scratched Labramon's head. Labramon herself was actually eating the flowers. "Good." She said between bites. Sakura frantically waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention.

Just then Sakura heard giggling. The giggling was coming from Jun. She had a happy look on her face and in her arms she carried Penguinmon who was giggling as well.

"I haven't felt this good in a long time." Jun said, happily.

"I'm so glad you're happy Jun." said Penguinmon.

Sakura backed up in shock. Now she knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong with them? They seem so out of character." said Sakura.

Just then a low growl could be heard. An all too familiar growl.

"That's what we heard in the mist earlier." said Fairydramon.

"It feels so sad." Sakura said.

"Sad?" Fairydramon questioned.

Mist began to gather and then formed a shape. The figure that appeared was hunched over in an ape like fashion. It was covered in brown fur and red skin. Its ears were a moss green color and floppy like a rabbits. In top of its head was some sort of hat the looked almost like a face. On top of the hat were three horns. Two large spikes protruded upwards from its shoulders. His eyes were blood red showing he was an infected digimon.

"A digimon was behind this." Sakura said.

"That's Wendigomon." Fairydramon said. "Stand back Sakura." Fairydramon commanded.

With that she flew towards Wendigomon. Although Wendigomon was quick to respond. His right arm elongated like a cable and smacked Fairydramon aside.

"Fairydramon!" Sakura shouted. Wendigomon started to lumber towards her. Sakura looked at him. Strangely, she could feel a sense of sadness about this digimon.

"Fairy Flame!" Several fireballs hit Wendigomon. He turned angrily towards Fairydramon who continued to pepper him with more Fairy Flames.

Wendigomon's stomach opened up to reveal several guns. Energy bullets shot out trying to strike Fairydramon. She stepped to dodge them but then one struck her in the wing. Fairydramon cried out in pain. She collapsed to the ground. Wendigomon then proceeded to grab her with his arm and elongated it.

He grunted as he swung Fairydramon around like a rag doll. Fairydramon crashed near Sakura, who immediately tended to her.

"Fairydramon!" Sakura cried.

"I'm fine Sakura." Fairydramon said shakily, standing up. Fairydramon's whole body ached. If she had not lost so much energy after fighting SkullMeramon she could evolve.

"You're in no condition to fight." Sakura said. Sakura turned to see Wendigomon coming towards them. A determined look crossed Sakura's face. She stepped forward towards Wendigomon.

"What are you doing!?" Fairydramon shouted, in concern.

"Trust me." said Sakura. Although Fairydramon was just about to run back and drag her partner away, something inside her told her to trust Sakura.

Wendigomon growled as the human stepped toward him. As Sakura walked in front of him, her serious expression softened. Now her face had a look almost of pity. "You don't want to do this do you?" Sakura asked. Wendigmon simply growled in confusion.

"It's that virus thats making you do this." said Sakura. Sakura's digivice began to glow at that instant. Wendigomon backed up a bit. He then angrily raised his fist and prepared to strike her.

"Sakura!" Fairydramon shouted. She then began to run towards Sakura.

As Wendigomon's fist headed straight towards Sakura, she instantly raised her digivice. A light emanated from it enveloping Wendigomon. He cried out in pain as the light of the digivice was all around him. Just then the virus popped out of his body. The small round black object pulsed a bit and then deleted. Wendigomon's eyes changed from a blood red color to a lighter shade of red. His expression softened as he looked around in confusion.

"You're better now." said Sakura. Wendigomon gave her a look that said thank you.

"Could you send us back please?" Sakura asked. Wendigomon nodded in response. The whole flower field dissolved into mist and with it Wendigomon.

"Sakura!" Fairydramon cried. Sakura turned to see her partner running towards her. "How did you know to do that?" she asked.

Sakura simply shrugged. "I don't know. Something just told me to." I could feel he was in pain.

She looked at her digivice. "I've always felt hesitant to fight those infected digimon, I mean it's not their fault. They were just enslaved." She said.

"That's what I like about you Sakura. You're kind." Fairydramon said. "But you're a digidestined and you have to save the Digital World no matter the cost." Fairydramon said, seriously.

"I know, but I just wish there was another way sometimes." The mist then cleared and they were back at the train tracks. The rest of the digidestined immediately snapped to attention wondering what had happened. Labramon especially wondered why she had a funny taste in her mouth. Jun was also wondering why Penguinmon was on her lap.

"Get off me!" she shouted, pushing her digimon off of her.

While all this was going on, Neemon awoke. He looked around a bit. "Good morning." He said to no one in particular.

XXX

"Are you sure it was wise to put SkullMeramon in charge?" Asked Duskmon.

"Of course." said Demon. Demon was confident in SkullMeramon's abilities. "He's vicious and bloodthirsty. My kind of digimon." Demon continued.

"That's the problem. He's too unpredictable. All he wants to do is battle." said Duskmon.

"Vicousness does not make him more competent." Retorted Cherubimon. "I just felt another virus get destroyed." Cherubimon continued.

"Then go create more." said Demon. With a growl, Cherubimon disappeared into the corridors of the castle.

"Like I said before, you're getting too confident in your high position, Demon." said Duskmon.

"Don't question my judgment." Demon growled.

"Remember, we only have two digi-cores. The other ten are still out there." said Duskmon. "We must not let those children get the others."

Lilithmon was watching all this from the shadows. It amused her slightly to see the men fight amongst themselves. The black digitama in her hands glowed for a brief moment.

Lilithmon smiled as it glowed. "Feeding time." She said. Lilithmon wandered through the castle until she came upon a door. Opening the door revealed a ceremonial room with a strange device in it. It looked like it was plugged into the wall and the ceiling. The part that connected to the ceiling almost looked like a tube. Below it was a pedestal that held the imprint for an egg or a digitama.

Lilithmon placed the digitama on the pedestal. A strange black energy poured out of the tube. The digitama seemed to absorb the energy.

"Cherubimon had a good mind when he created this." Lilithmon said. "All the chaos we have caused with a pinch of the World of Darkness."

Lilithmon kneeled before the digitama. "I hope this nourishment for your revival appeases you my master." said Lilithmon.

To be continued….

Well I hope this chapter has been enjoyable. Now about The incident with Neemon on the train well I checked and that is one of his attacks. In fact most of his attacks involve breaking wind (weird isn't it).


	12. Chapter 12

The digidestined were recuperating after their encounter with Wendigomon. Sakura told them about how Wendigomon captured and hypnotized them. She also told them about the how the digivice purified Wendigomon. For now, they sat down around the map of Folder Kazuya bought in Driver City.

"Alright we need to plan our next course of action." said Kazuya, as he observed the map.

"But where do we go next?" asked Sho.

Kazuya scratched the back of his head. "I haven't figured that part out yet."

"Well we just wander around and stuff happens." said Chiisi.

"Besides its not like anyone tells us where to go." said Jun.

"The only objective we have is to find the digi-cores." said Sakura.

Kazuya folded up the map and stood up with a determined look on his face. "Guess we just have to find them then, even if it means wandering around with no place in mind."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Even though they had no idea where they had to go next, they had to keep moving on. Sakura turned towards the Locomon where EbiBurgermon was standing.

"Why don't you come with us?" Sakura asked.

EbiBurgermon simply shook her head. "Sorry but my place is with the Locomon."

"She's really determined despite the city is probably destroyed by now." Jun said to herself.

"Well some digimon are just set in their ways." Penguinmon replied.

The group then left the Locomon and headed out. They continued to walk but soon they noticed the sun was starting to set.

"We should stop for the night." said Kazuya.

"I'm not spending the night outside, goggleboy." said Jun.

"She's right. It's kind of cold." said Sakura.

"We should all cuddle together for warmth." said Gazimon. He was especially mentioning this towards Fairydramon.

Fairydramon simply growled and turned away. "Lets just keep moving, maybe there's a place to stay." she said.

"Oh yeah. Like we're supposed to find a place in the middle of nowhere."

Moments later…

"Well I'll be damned." Jun said, noticing the large inn on the side of the road.

"Finally a place to get some sleep." said Sakura.

The group headed toward the inn and entered the door. The room looked like a small lobby, much like the ones found on earth. At the front desk was a bell. Instinctivly, Kazuya rang it. Noticing nothing happened, he rung it a few more times.

"May I help you?" a digimon said suddenly appearing in front of Kazuya. Kazuya stepped back in surprise. The digimon that appeared looked like a tapir except it had smoke where its legs should be.

"Uh yeah. We were wondering if you had any rooms available?" asked Kazuya.

"Why of course, my boy. In fact you're the only ones here tonight." The digimon said. "I am Tapirmon and I will be your host tonight."

"Aren't you supposed to say that if this was a restaurant?" asked Jun.

"Well here at my inn, we not only have beds but hot meals and baths too."

"Food!?" Labramon questioned hungrily.

"Baths together?" Gazimon asked excitedly.

"Sorry, but the baths are separate between men and woman."

"Oh." Gazimon said disappointed. Fairydramon breathed a sigh of relief.

"If you step this way I will get dinner started." Tapirmon said leading them towards the dining room.

They all followed Tapirmon (well for Labramon it was more like running) into the dining room. Soon, the children and their digimon were all enjoying a good meal. As they ate, Tapirmon watched them from a distance with a devious smirk on his face. Soon, they were finished with their meal.

"Urp. That hit the spot." Gazimon burped, giving his belly a pat.

"I'll say. I'm about ready for those baths now."

"Well then I'll show you to them." Tapirmon said, appearing behind Kazuya. Kazuya fell out of his chair as Tapirmon had caught him be surprise again. They then followed Tapirmon to the baths.

"He's awfully friendly, don't you think?" Sakura said to Fairydramon

Fairydramon looked at Tapirmon. "Yes he is." She said to Sakura.

"A bit too friendly." Fairydramon thought to herself.

They arrived at a large door with the sign_ Bath _imprinted on the right side of the door.

"You'll find everything you need in there and please, boys stay on one side and girls on the other." said Tapirmon.

"Thank you." Sakura said. They all the entered the baths.

As the door closed, Tapirmon chuckled to himself. "That's it, enjoy the baths and soon you'll be ready for bed."

XXX

"This is great!" said Kazuya, as he submerged himself in the hot water. The boys had settled themselves into the bath and were greatly enjoying themselves. They had not had a chance to truly relax since their adventure began.

"Yes, this is very refreshing." Chiisi said, with no emotion.

"Come on Chiisi. Show some more emotion. I mean, we haven't had a bath since we were brought to this world."

"I am just stating it's refreshing. No need to be excited about it." said Chiisi.

"The kid has the right idea. We should take this moment to rest up for more opponents."

"Is fighting all you think about?" asked Kazuya. Beside Kazuya was Penguinmon. He wore a tense expression on his face. "What's wrong with you?" asked Kazuya.

"I should be with Jun." said Penguinmon.

"Well she's a girl so she's on the girl's side." said Kazuya. "You just have to bear it."

"But I need to protect her and this water's too hot!" exclaimed Penguinmon.

"Can't anyone just relax!" exclaimed Kazuya.

Kazuya turned his head away and then looked toward Sho. Sho was the only boy not in the bath.

"Hey Sho, why don't you come in?" asked Kazuya. "The water's great."

"No thanks. I don't like the idea of bathing with others." said Sho.

"What are you talking about? Back in Japan this isn't such a big deal." retorted Kazuya.

"Well I'm only half Japanese and I don't want to go in." said Sho.

Kazuya got up out of the bath and walked toward Sho grabbing his arm.

"Come on buddy. You need to relax more." said Kazuya.

"Hey let me go!" Sho said.

"Gazimon's gone." said Chiisi.

Kazuya and Sho looked toward Chiisi. They looked around the room and Gazimon was indeed gone.

"Where did he go?" asked Kazuya.

"Heh, I have an idea." said DemiDevimon.

"You know where he is?" asked Sho.

"Let's just say we should be getting some entertainment soon." said DemiDevimon, as he looked toward the wall that separated the girl's side from the boys.

XXX

Just like the boys, the girls were greatly enjoying themselves.

"This feels so good!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I could get used to this." said Jun.

Unlike the other girls, Labramon simply lay on the side, her head on her paws.

"Say Labramon, why don't you come in?" asked Sakura.

"No! I don't want to go in the bath without my Sho-chan!" exclaimed Labramon.

Jun gave an exasperated sigh. "Sho-chan, Sho-chan." she mocked.

"I swear, all we hear from you, is either you're hungry or about how much you like Sanbara."

"So what? I love to eat and I love Sho-chan!" Labramon said defensively. "And like I said, I will only take a bath with him!"

"Yeah that's right. You love him, heh." snickered Jun.

"Shut up!" Labramon said, growling towards Jun.

"Please don't fight!" Sakura pleaded.

Fairydramon tried to ignore what was going on but was ready to take action in case Jun and Labramon broke out into a brawl. Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed her bath. The hot water felt good against her scales. Then she heard some bubbling.

"Hmm." She said, as she opened her eyes to the water beside her, which was bubbling. Jun and Sakura both looked as well. A loud splash erupted as a figure emerged from the water. It was Gazimon and his nose was bleeding profusely.

"I couldn't hold my breath anymore!" Gazimon said, as he gasped for air.

Gazimon looked around as he noticed the other girls were looking furiously at him. He then looked to Fairydramon. She looked like she was ready to blow. Her face was bright red and smoke was pouring out of her nostrils.

"Uh, you know you're really cute when you're angry." Gazimon said.

"HENTAI RABBIT!" Fairydramon shouted. She then punched Gazimon right through the wall separating the two baths.

The boys yelled in surprise as Gazimon burst from the other side and landed smack dab into the wall. He then fell to the ground. He had a dazed look on his face. His nose was still bleeding but this time from Fairydramon's punch.

"Gazimon speak to me!" Kazuya said, shaking his partner.

"That's my kind of lady." Gazimon said, dazed.

"What happened to him? Is Jun in trouble?!" Penguinmon asked. "I'm coming Jun!"

"Wait Penguinmon!" shouted Sho.

Meanwhile the girls simply stared at the Gazimon shaped hole in the wall. Fairydramon simply stood there and snorted a puff of smoke in a huff.

"I don't get it. Why was she so mad?" Labramon asked innocently.

"Jun!" said Penguinmon as he rushed to the girl's side. "Are you all right?!" He frantically asked Jun.

Jun angrily turned toward Penguinmon. "Jun, are you alright?" asked Penguinmon.

"GET OUT OF HERE YOUR PERVERT!" shouted Jun.

Moments later Penguinmon crashed into the wall beside Gazimon.

"Told you we would have a show." said DemiDevimon.

"Indeed." said Chiisi. As usual, his voice had no emotion.

XXX

The group left the bathroom. They were fully dressed and ready for bed. Gazimon was still nursing his bloody nose. Penguinmon was in similar pain minus the bloody nose.

"Hey Sho…you coming?" Kazuya asked.

"You guys go ahead. Now that you are done I can take a bath." said Sho.

"Well alright, but I still think it would have made more sense to take a bath with us." said Kazuya.

"Wait Sho-chan. If you're taking a bath I can take one with you!" Labramon said.

Sho face faulted and said. "Uh Labramon, I kind of want to take a bath by myself." said Sho.

"But I'm your digimon and I want to take a bath with you." Labramon pouted. She then gave Show her best puppy dog look, whimpering only slightly.

"Oh all right." said Sho, finally giving in.

"Yay!" shouted Labramon. She jumped in the water with a splash joining Sho. The last sound the digidestined heard before closing the door were Labramon's giggles and Sho groaning.

XXX

Sho looked at Labramon as she stopped splashing and stared at him. She fluttered her eyes a bit causing Sho to blush. Labramon giggled at that. She then swam up to him, rubbing herself against his side.

"Isn't this nice, Sho-chan?" asked Labramon

"Uhh yeah." said Sho, a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, I would be comfortable anywhere so long as you were there." Labramon said, flirtatiously.

"R-really?" Sho asked, feeling even more uncomfortable.

"Of course. You're so smart and handsome." Labramon giggled. She then began to twirl some of Sho's hair with her paw. Sho backed away.

"Is she flirting with me?" Sho thought to himself.

Labramon simply giggled and swam closer to her partner. "Where are you going silly?" Labramon asked.

XXX

Outside…

"Done with your bath?" Tapirmon said, popping up right next to Kazuya.

"Ah!" Kazuya screamed. "Would you cut that out?!" Kazuya shouted, after being surprised again.

"I'm sorry." Tapirmon said with a bow.

"It's alright. And to answer your question, we're done but our friends are still taking a bath."

Tapirmon for a moment looked slightly annoyed.

"We think we're going to head to bed now." said Sakura

"Very well, you'll find your rooms upstairs." said Tapirmon.

The digidestined headed up the stairs until they reached what they guessed were the bedrooms.

"Well goodnight guys." said Sakura.

"See you in the morning." replied Kazuya.

The boys then entered their room. Penguinmon followed them and was just about to go in with them.

"Where are you going?" Jun asked Penguinmon.

"Well with the boys." Penguinmon replied.

"You're coming with me." said Jun.

"But, before in the bath…" Penguinmon started.

Jun looked down and for the first time she had a look of regret on her face. "Look, I'm sorry I hit you, but just come in."

"Jun." Penguinmon said, tears welling up in his eyes. Maybe for once his partner was ready to show affection to him.

"But you better close your eyes when I'm undressing or I'll deck you again." said Jun.

Penguinmon sweatdropped and simply followed his partner inside.

Below, Tapirmon listened carefully for the sound of doors closing. When he finally heard it, he smiled. "Well I guess I should get to work." He said menacingly.

"Wow, that was refreshing!" Labramon said, as she happily padded out of the bath. Tapirmon quickly hid himself, as Sho and Labramon walked in the room.

Labramon looked as happy as she could be. Her golden fur was shining and she hummed a bit. Sho walked behind her. His face was red since he was feeling a little embarrassed.

"Next time I take a bath by myself." he thought to himself. The pair made their way towards the bedroom, Labramon sniffing for the others scent.

"The boys are in here." Labramon said, pawing the door.

"Right" Sho said, nodding his head.

Labramon smiled as she walked up to Sho. She then rubbed her head against his leg. "I enjoyed taking a bath with you Sho-chan." said Labramon. "Let's do it again sometime." she added flirtatiously.

Sho blushed even further as the two entered the door and went to bed. "Finally, those two have gone to bed. I can finally get my mission done." said Tapirmon. "SkullMeramon should reward me once I'm through."

Tapirmon pondered a moment as he floated. "Now whose dream should I enter?"

He closed his eyes and looked into the minds of the children and their digimon. "Darn. All of them are having good dreams, but wait." he said to himself.

"The one with the goggles looks interesting." Tapirmon said.

"Waking dream." Tapirmon said. He focused his mind as he entered Kazuya's nightmare.

XXX

_Little Kazuya waited inside his kindergarten classroom. His parents promised they would pick him up. It was starting to get late and he wondered where he was. The five year old fidgeted with the goggles around his neck. They were a birthday present from his father._

_The door opened. He turned to the door happily expecting his mother and father to walk through, but to his surprise, it was his older sister._

"_Keiko?" he asked._

_Kazuya noticed Keiko had a sad expression on her face._

"_What's wrong?" Kazuya asked._

"_Kazuya listen to me." She said kneeling down towards her brother._

XXX

Kazuya turned in his sleep. It was that same nightmare again. The one of the day he tried hard to forget. His eyes suddenly snapped open. They grew cloudy and devoid of light. Slowly he rose to his feet and made his way downstairs. He stopped when he reached the one who was calling him, Tapirmon.

"Good, you've arrived." said Tapirmon. "Now, go into the kitchen and get a knife. Then, I want you to kill your friends."

Kazuya nodded and made his way into the kitchen. Upstairs, everyone was sleeping and unaware of what was coming. Well, not everyone was asleep. Gazimon awoke, his fine ears picking up something. He smiled to himself and tiptoed towards the door. He opened it slightly and peeked through.

Sakura and Fairydramon had left their room and were making their way towards the restroom.

"I don't know why you have to go with me." said Sakura.

"Just trying to protect you and I have to go as well." said Fairydramon.

Gazimon smiled to himself as his head filled with naughty thoughts. He waited until they entered the restroom and then tiptoed across. "Got to make this swift and quick." Gazimon said to himself. Thoughts of Fairydramon and Sakura danced around in his head. His thoughts were then, unfortunately for him, interrupted as he fell forwards. He looked up to see Chiisi standing on his tail. DemiDevimon was perched on his shoulder.

"Oh hey." Gazimon said, sheepishly.

"Taking a trip to the restroom?" DemiDevimon asked.

"How did you know?" Gazimon asked.

"I can smell perverts, especially when they have thoughts of my cousin." Chiisi replied, nonchalantly.

"Oh come on. I have a natural curiosity." said Gazimon.

Chiisi and DemiDevimon rolled their eyes. "Come on, before you end up with a double bloody nose again." said Chiisi.

"On second thought, let him pursue his perverted fantasies." said DemiDevimon, with a slight grin.

"That's enough for tonight." Chiisi said to his partner.

Chiisi then heard a small creak and turned towards the stairs to see Kazuya walking up them. Although Chiisi could not see it very clear due to it being dark, it looked like Kazuya was holding something.

"Kazuya?" Chiisi asked.

"Uh Kazuya, listen. There's a good reason I was out here and it has nothing to do with girls and the restroom." Gazimon said, rather unconvincingly.

Kazuya did not reply and continued to walk up the stairs with a blank expression on his face. He reached the top and made his way over to Chiisi. In a flash, Kazuya leapt onto Chiisi. It was then Chiisi finally saw what was in Kazuya's hand, a knife. Chiisi held on to Kazuya's arm trying his best to hold it back.

"Kazuya what are you doing?!" Gazimon asked, shocked at what his partner was trying to do.

"Guess there's no other choice." DemiDevimon said, holding up a Demi Dart.

"No don't!" Chiisi pleaded.

The door to the girls room opened to reveal an angry looking Jun. "Hey would you idiots keep it down!" she shouted. Then she noticed Kazuya trying to kill Chiisi. She then rushed towards Kazuya holding him back. Penguinmon feebly held onto Kazuya's leg, but it was not doing much good as Kazuya kicked his leg around. The knife then fell from Kazuya's hand. Kazuya desperately struggled, trying to reach it.

"Did goggle-boy finally snap or something?" said Jun.

"Make him stop. I'm getting sick!" said Penguinmon.

"What's going on?" The others turned to find Sakura and Fairydramon had just left the restroom. She was shocked to see her cousin on the ground and Jun restraining Kazuya.

"Kazuya!" Sakura shouted, rushing towards Kazuya. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. I was just taking a stroll with Chiisi and DemiDevimon when Kazuya attacked him." said Gazimon.

Fairydramon looked at the restroom door and then at Gazimon. "Of course you were taking a stroll." she said.

Kazuya continued to struggle, desperately reaching for his knife. Sakura looked around tensely and then an idea hit her. "Forgive me Kazuya." she said. She then balled up her fist and punched Kazuya right in the face! He tumbled back and hit the ground.

"Wow! You did what I wanted to do! I'm impressed." Jun congratulated Sakura.

"Oww. What you do that for!" Kazuya demanded.

"Sorry, but I didn't know what else to do." Sakura apologized.

Kazuya looked around. "What am I doing out here?" he asked.

"You were trying to kill Chiisi!" said Gazimon.

"What? There's no way I would do that!" Kazuya said, alarmed.

"You idiots, you ruined everything!" an angry voice shouted.

Everyone turned to see Tapirmon was the source of the voice. "Don't you people sleep? Now my plan is ruined!" Tapirmon shouted.

"You did this?" Kazuya asked.

"Of course! My waking dream attack allows me to enter a person's nightmares and take control of their minds." said Tapirmon. "It would have worked too. Now, SkullMeramon won't reward me!"

"That bastard's working for SkullMeramon!" said Jun.

Tapirmon saw all of them were ready to fight. With that, he decided it was time to flee. "After him!" shouted Kazuya. Before they could go, Kazuya remember Sho and Labramon. "Go get Sho and Labramon and meet us downstairs." Kazuya said to Jun.

"Wait. Why do I have to get Sanbara and his mutt?" Jun asked. But Jun's question fell on deaf ears. "Come on Penguinmon lets wake them up."

Jun and Penguinmon found Sho and Labramon still fast asleep. Labramon lay sprawled on her belly chewing on the blanket.

"Even when she's sleeping she's eating." said Jun.

Jun immediately shook the two jarring them from sleep.

"Jun, w-whats going on?" Sho asked.

"Yeah? I was having a lovely dream of a meat mountain and Sho-chan." Labramon whined.

"You can dream about that later. We have this creep trying to kill us." Jun retorted.

XXX

The remaining digidestined and their digimon had finally cornered Tapirmon at the back of the kitchen. Tapirmon glanced at them. He knew he could put up a good fight but he doubted he could take them all on at once.

"This calls for drastic measures." Tapirmon said, his eyes glancing towards a small compartment with a hammer attached that said "In case of emergency break glass." He then proceded to break the glass and out came a small black virus that embeded itself in Tapirmon's body. His whole body began to glow

"**Tapirmon evolve! Apemon!**" In Tapirmon's place stood a human sized monkey digimon. His fur was a golden color and he had several bands on his body.

Apemon then began to focus. Normally the power of a virus made a digimon feral while some who managed to keep their minds intact, found they could use the virus to access a wide array of powers that evolution wouldn't normally allow. The whole house began to shake.

"We need to get out of here!" Kazuya shouted.

The group then ran ahead trying to escape. While they ran, they caught a glimpse of Sho, Jun and their digimon. "Change of plans guys we need to get out of here!" Kazuya shouted. Soon the group made it outside and watched as the house began to shift and change. The house itself became a body, while wooden arms and legs lifted it up. In the middle of the house, a large hole opened up revealing a glowing red eye.

"What is that thing, Housemon?!" Sho asked.

"Housemon? That's the stupidest name I've ever heard of!" Apemon shouted jumping atop the building. "Get them!" Apemon commanded the house.

Gazimon got into a defensive stance. "Let me handle this guy." Kazuya's digivice then glowed.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**" he shouted, evolving into his Champion form.

"Genki Rush!" Genkimon immediately enveloped himself in an aura and rushed towards the house. In a moment, Genkimon was grabbed by one of its hands. "Not again!" Genkimon said.

"Genkimon!" Kazuya shouted.

"Sho-chan!" said Labramon. Sho held up his digivice.

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**"

"Tiidaiya!" Labramon fired several golden arrows from her mane. The arrows struck the house's hand causing it to explode in a splinter of wood. Genkimon then fell to the ground.

"I had him." Genkimon said to himself.

DemiDevimon smirked as he saw the battle. "Say, why don't I take care of Apemon while Shiisamon deals with the house?" He suggested.

"Very well." Chiisi said, holding up his digivice.

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**" Devimon then flew towards Apemon.

"I can handle this guy!" Genkimon shouted to Devimon.

Devimon stopped in mid air and said. "Just stand back and let some real digimon handle this."

Before Genkimon could say anything, Devimon was flying toward Apemon. Devimon landed on the roof of the house and was face to face with Apemon.

"Hello monkey." Devimon replied, curtly.

"Mega Bone Stick!" Apemon threw a large bone at Devimon. Devimon however simply moved to the side, dodging it. The house then gave a sudden shake. Below, Shiisamon continued her assault of Tiidaiyas.

"You should have chosen a better foundation then wood." said Devimon

"Shut up!" Apemon shouted. He then threw a punch at Devimon. Devimon quickly dodged it.

"Too slow." Devimon said. "Touch of Evil!" Devimon struck Apemon hard sending him crashing inside the house. Devimon then flew in after him. Apemon landed with a crash.

"Where are you?!" Apemon demanded. He could not see in the darkness. He darted his eyes everywhere, hoping to catch a glimpse of Devimon. Unfortunately, for him, darkness was Devimon's element.

"Right here." Devimon said behind Apemon. Before Apemon could respond, Devimon impaled him right through the abdomen with his claw. Devimon smiled as his opponent began to struggle for breath. But soon those gasps turned into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Devimon demanded.

"You think you have won, but it's only temporary. SkullMeramon will catch you." said Apemon.

"What do you mean?" demanded Devimon.

"SkullMeramon has been tracking you with those digivices. There's no place for those humans to run." said Apemon. With that, he deleted, the virus pulsating for a moment before deleting as well. The whole house began to shake. Devimon quickly exited so he would not go along with it. The house then began to crumble and soon there was nothing left, but a large pile of wood.

"Alright." shouted Kazuya.

"Graggh! I almost had that guy!" said Gazimon, who had just devolved from Genkimon.

"Please, you were easily beaten." Devimon said as he flew down and devolved.

"Take that back! I'm the strongest." Gazimon retorted.

"Oh yes. That's why you have been defeated a lot lately." DemiDevimon mocked.

Gazimon rushed towards DemiDevimon but was stopped at the last minute by Labramon.

DemiDevimon snickered as he watched Gazimon frantically try to escape Labramon. But soon, he gave up and sat dejected on the grass.

"Anyway, we have bigger problems. Monkey boy said SkullMeramon was tracking us with the digivices." said DemiDevimon.

"Then that means he could come after us at any time!" said Sho.

"What are we going to do?" asked Sakura.

"We'll just have to face him." Kazuya said.

"Well how are we supposed to do that? He handed are digimon's asses to them last time." said Jun.

For the first time Kazuya seemed unsure. But deep down, they all knew they would have to face him eventually. Still, they wondered how they would when he arrived.

To be continued…


	13. Chapter 13

SkullMeramon stared blankly into space aboard his Blimpmon. At the very moment, he was bored. If there was one thing he hated the most, it was to be bored.

"Damn Duskmon." SkullMeramon muttered.

Ever since he was given the orders to hunt for the digi-cores as well, he had to deviate from his original mission of killing the digidestined. He'd much rather be fighting than looking for little balls of data. But, he knew these were orders strait from the Three Fallen Angels. To disobey those orders would be costly. They were the only digimon he feared.

"It's just not fair!" He shouted, banging his fist against his chair. "How the heck am I supposed to find those digicores!"

His Goblimon minions shrunk in fear. They knew that whenever he got like this, he would most likely take his anger out on them.

"Well, remember sir you can still track those kids with their digivice signals." A Goblimon spoke up, trying to calm his boss.

SkullMeramon's expression softened slightly. "Very well heh. Besides, this makes the game more interesting." said SkullMeramon. "Just imagine them walking along not knowing when they'll be attacked!"

XXX

"Oh God, oh God!" Sho said to himself over and over. Ever since they had found out SkullMeramon was tracking them with their digivices, Sho had been in panic mode. He was curled up in a ball moving back and forth. Labramon was rubbing his back trying to calm him.

"Would you cut that out, Sanbara!" Jun shouted.

"Be quiet!" Labramon scolded. "Can't you see Sho-chan is upset!"

Labramon then continued to try comforting her partner. "There, there Sho-chan, it will be alright."

Sho then shot up startling Labramon a bit. "Calm down?! How can I calm down when that psycho could be on his way here?!" Sho exclaimed.

Sho then rushed towards Kazuya shaking him wildly. "Come on Kazuya, think of a plan, you're the leader!" Sho said, panicked.

"Hey, I don't have plan!" Kazuya said, taking himself out of Sho's grasp.

"But you're the leader, you have to have a plan!" exclaimed Sho.

"Sho, you need to calm down. It will be alright." Sakura said, reassuringly.

"I don't know how you can be so positive, especially with that psycho after us." said Sho.

Jun gave an exasperated groan saying, "Would you knock it off Sanbara!" shouted Jun. "I'm sick of hearing that psycho is after us."

"I'd just rather not be burned alive." said Sho.

While the kids were busy with their problems, their digimon were having a discussion of their own.

"No matter how hard I try, Sho-chan won't calm down." said Labramon. "My poor Sho-chan." she exclaimed.

"Well he has a right to be worried, I still remember the pain from fighting." Penguinmon said, remembering the fight with SkullMeramon.

DemiDevimon simply scoffed at what Penguinmon said. "I don't know what you're so upset about, I relish the thought of another battle." said DemiDevimon.

"Is fighting all you think about?" Fairydramon asked.

DemiDevimon thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, pretty much."

Fairydramon rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Be serious. We have to protect our partners at all costs."

"What's the point if you can't win?" asked Gazimon. Unlike his teammates, Gazimon sat a few feet away from them looking rather sulky.

"What do you mean?" Labramon asked innocently.

"Heh, he's still sore about getting his ass kicked." DemiDevimon snickered.

Gazimon then got up and glared daggers at DemiDevimon. "Hey, say that to my face!" he shouted angrily.

"Oh did I hit a sore spot?" DemiDevimon taunted.

With a yell, Gazimon leapt at DemiDevimon. The winged rookie barley had enough time to fly away as Gazimon tackled him. Kazuya and Chiisi saw the fighting and went to restrain their digimon. The other digidestined and their digimon ran over as well. Gazimon and DemiDevimon were soon pulled apart. Gazimon was struggling in Kazuya's arms trying to reach DemiDevimon. DemiDevimon simply smirked as Chiisi held him. While all this commotion was going on, no one noticed the strange glowing symbol that appeared beneath them. In a flash, they were all gone.

XXX

The figure relaxed himself as he finished reciting the teleportation spell. "Are you sure that was wise Maia?" he asked.

He turned towards another figure in a white hood. "Yes, it is time they knew a bit more as to why they are here." said Maia.

"They will need you to teach them." Maia said before vanishing

As Maia vanished, the figure turned around. "Patamon." He said. Just then, a small orange pig with bat wings flapped up in front of him.

"Yes Master?" Patamon asked.

"The digidestiend should have arrived in my dimension. Now go retrieve them." He said pointing to his right.

Patamon simply nodded in response and flew off towards where his master was pointing.

The figure sighed. Although he felt it was too soon to reveal a bit of the digidestined's destiny to them, things did not seem good. He had seen disturbing visions. Visions of a dark future.

XXX

"Uh, where are we?" asked Kazuya.

He, along with the rest of the digidestined, were confused. One minute they were arguing near the wreckage of the hotel, the next they were in some sort of forest clearing.

"We should check the digivice." Sakura suggested.

"Good idea." said Kazuya. They all checked the maps on their digivices. To their dismay though, a message popped up that said "Area Unknown."

"We're doomed." Sho said simply.

"Not necessarily." said Chiisi. "If our digivices can't show where we are, than SkullMeramon can't find us."

XXX

Speaking of the devil…..

"WHAT! Where did they go?!" SkullMeramon shouted.

"Their digivice signals have vanished." A Goblimon said.

SkullMeramon's body began to flare up. His Goblimon minions began to sweat from the heat.

"I know that, you morons! But where are they?!" SkullMeramon demanded.

The Goblimon shook with fear. One managed to come forward and stammered out. "W-w-well t-they s-seemed to have v-vanshed from the D-Digital W-World."

At that last remark, something inside SkullMeramon's head burst. His whole body burst into flames. A moment later, a stream of fire made matching holes on each side of the Blimpmon's control room. The angry roar of SkullMeramon echoed through the night.

XXX

Back to the heroes….

Fairydramon surveyed the area, her eyes darting in various directions. "I don't think we have left the Digital World." she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura. "Our digivices can't tell where we are."

"Yes, technically we are in the Digital World, but this area is simply masked by an illusion." said Fairydramon.

The other digimon felt this as well. "She's right. This place seems a little strange." said Penguinmon.

"I don't feel anything." said Jun.

"It's a digimon thing." said Fairydramon.

"So, you're the digidestined?" a voice asked.

The group looked up to see a Patamon perched on the branch of a tree.

"Who are you?!" Kazuya demanded. The others got in a defensive stance (well minus Gazimon who was still sulking). But who could blame them, after their last encounter with a seemingly harmless digimon.

"Relax, I'm not your enemy." Patamon said raising a hoof. He flew down landing right near the group.

"I am Patamon, apprentice to the great and powerful Wisemon."

"Well, that's an original name for a digimon." Jun said sarcastically.

"Hey, you can't choose what you evolve into!" said Patamon. Patamon then flew up right in Jun's face. "And watch your tongue when you are talking about my master. You should consider it a great honor to be summoned by him."

"All right, all right, calm down." said Jun.

Patamon turned around and started flapping forward. "Well now, if you could follow me, my master is waiting." said Patamon.

The group then decided to follow Patamon. They were not sure weather to trust him or not, but he seemed like a good digimon. As the group started to follow him, Kazuya sensed Gazimon was not with him.

"Hey Gazimon, you alright?" Kazuya asked.

Gazimon looked up at his partner with a sullen look on his face. "Oh? Yea I'm fine." he lied.

Although Kazuya could feel his partner was not fine, he simply smiled and motioned him to follow.

"Come on, let's go pal." Kazuya said. Gazimon then followed his partner but with that same sullen look on his face.

They walked a great distance with an occasional question of "Are we there yet?" Finally, they reached a large house. Actually it seemed more like a temple then a house.

"Well this is my master's abode." said Patamon.

"Fancy looking place." said Jun.

"Yes, this place truly suits my master." said Patamon, proudly.

DemiDevimon raised an eye at that remark. "Just how powerful is this guy?" he asked.

"My master is one of the strongest Ultimate level digimon around." Patamon said flying around in many directions. "Many digimon come to train under him."

Patamon then stopped his flying and merely stopped with a dreamy look on his face. "Someday when I evolve into an Ultimate, I'm going to become a great digimon trainer." said Patamon. "Maybe I'll set up on Server." Patamon added.

"Uh, excuse me. I don't mean to be rude, but maybe we should go inside?" said Sakura.

Patamon then snapped out of his daydream and continued to lead the children to the temple. They stopped in front of a door at the front. "This way." Patamon said, leading them through a hallway. At the end they reached some sort of shrine. Near the end, a hooded figure sat in what appeared to be a deep meditation. His back was turned to them. The only feature they could make out were two golden wings sprouting from his back.

"Master, I have brought the digidestined and their digimon." said Patamon.

"Very good Patamon." Wisemon said, rising. Wisemon turned to face the group. Wisemon was dressed in a brown robe with a golden hood. His face was hidden by the darkness of his hood. The only thing they could make out were a pair of glowing eyes.

"Welcome Digidestiend and destined digimon." said Wisemon.

"Finally someone acknowledges us." DemiDevimon whispered to himself.

"I'm sorry for bringing you here without notice." Wisemon began. "But Lady Maia felt that it was time to reveal a bit more to you."

"Maia asked you to bring us?" Sakura asked.

Wisemon nodded his head. "I must first ask you something." said Wisemon. "What have you been told of your destiny?"

"Well all we have been told is that we were the digidestined and we have to save the world." said Sho.

"Yep and we're their digimon." Labramon added happily.

"Yes, but it is time you knew some of the Digital World's history." said Wisemon.

Wisemon then went into a deep thought. "Now how did that go again?" he said. "Ah yes."

Wisemon then held out his hand and recited an incantation. An image materialized showing a planet. They guessed it was the digital world.

"At the very dawn of the Digital World, there was nothing but peace." Wisemon began. "The digimon were ruled by the golden god." Just then, a golden light radiated from the center of the Digital World image.

"A god?" Kazuya asked.

"Yes but his name escapes me." said Wisemon, causing everyone in the room to sweatdrop.

"It seemed like this peace would last forever, but darkness came." said Wisemon. The image then became black. Chiisi shrank back a bit at the mention of the word darkness.

"An evil had descended upon the land and took the form of a digimon." said Wisemon.

"Let me guess, his name escapes you." said Jun. Patamon then shot her a dirty glance.

"Well, I know his name began with a G or something." said Wisemon. "I should have asked Maia." He said to himself.

"Well anyway, this digimon spread his evil across the Digital World." said Wismon. "Many digimon fell under his sway and became his servants." When all seemed lost, the golden god challenged this evil." The image then changed to a golden figure facing off against some sort of black monster. Although the figures were not clear, the golden figure appeared to be a dragon while the other looked like it had a humanoid body and a bestial body.

"They battled for many days and nights without rest." Wisemon continued. "However the god used one final ditch effort to defeat the evil. Summoning up all his strength and power the god managed to separate the evil's body and spirit." The image then changed to the golden dragon firing a ray of golden energy at the beast. The beast backed away in pain.

"Its body reverted to a digitama and its spirit was sealed behind a wall of fire at the center of the Digital World." Wisemon continued. The image then showed the evils' body turning into small egg and shooting off into the distance. Then it showed an evil face being sucked into a wall of fire.

"However the god used too much of his strength and would soon perish." Wisemon continued. "To govern the digital world in his place, he created four digitamas that would soon hatch into the four Harmonious Ones." He image then shifted to a picture of the Digital World with four figures surrounding it. A dragon lay to the east, a tiger to the west, a turtle to the north, and a bird to the south.

"The god then died and left behind the twelve dig-cores that lined his body." Wisemon continued. The image then vanished.

"Wait a minute so these digi-cores were a part of a digimon god?!" Kazuya asked in astonishment.

"Yes, each of the twelve represented an element of the Digital World." Said Wisemon.

"You mine like Fire, Water, Earth and Air?" Chiisi asked.

Wisemon shook his head. "No, more like aspects." said Wisemon. The digidestined look at him questioningly.

"Courage, Friendship, Knowledge, Love, Sincerity, Reliability, Kindness, Hope, Light, Darkness, Miracles, and Destiny." said Wisemon. "Those are the elements of the Digital World."

"Oh, you mean like personality traits!" said Kazuya.

"Correct." said Wisemon.

"Inside each of you exists two of those traits." said Wisemon.

"Hold on a minute, if we only have two traits how come there are twelve digi-cores?" asked Jun.

Wisemon looked down and sighed. "Unfortunately the digi-cores of Miracles and Destiny are in the hands of the Fallen Angels."

"Who are they?" Fairydramon asked.

"They were among the first digimon to be corrupted by the evil one." said Wisemon. "They were once holy digimon but now they are nothing but twisted servants now." Their names are Demon, Lilithmon, and Cherubimon." They have already conquered the continents of Server and Directory and are extending their reach towards Folder."

"They sound scary." said Penguinmon

"Don't worry. If we find the digicores, we can beat them!" Labramon yipped.

"But they already have two digi-cores. What's to stop them from finding the others?" Fairydramon questioned.

"Luckily they have not found the other ten. Five are hidden on this continent and five others lay on File Island." said Wisemon.

"Well that's rather convenient." said Sakura.

"Couldn't you just tell us where they are?" Jun asked.

"I'm sorry but even I don't know their location." Wisemon answered. "It will be up to you to find them."

"But SkullMeramon is too strong. How are we supposed to beat him?" Gazimon asked. His head was still towards the ground and he still had a sulky expression.

"Isn't it obvious?" Patamon said. "My master is going to train you!"

"Train?" everyone said in unison.

Wisemon nodded his head. "Although you have faced many trials, your skills are still untapped."

"Well in that case, let's start training!" said Kazuya.

Then Wisemon faltered. "Uh, I haven't thought of the training exercises yet." Everyone then fell down.

"Master!" said Patamon.

"Please take some time to relax while I prepare the tests." Wisemon said. "I will send Patamon after I am finished."

The group then dissipated and headed outside. As the children and their digimon left, Wisemon began thinking on what tests he would give the children and their digimon.

XXX

"Is it just me or was that guy a bit scatterbrained?" asked Sho.

"No, it's just you." Jun said, sarcastically (earning her a dirty look form Labramon).

Kazuya looked around noticing Gazimon was missing. "Where's Gazimon?" he said.

"Hopefully he fell off a cliff." said Fairydramon.

"Fairydramon!" Sakura said, in a scolding tone.

"Don't worry. I'll find him!" Labramon said, happily. She then took off sniffing for Gazimon's trail like a bloodhound.

XXX

Gazimon sighed as he stared at his reflection in the water. He had slipped away from the group and stumbled upon a pond. He wanted to be alone, his ego was damaged.

"There you are!" A happy voice yipped.

Gazimon fell into the water with a yelp. He rose out of the water a few seconds later to see what caused his surprise. The first thing he saw was Labramon. She was panting happily and wagging her tail.

"Oh, it's just you." Gazimon said, nonchalantly.

"Of course it's me, silly!" Labramon said, happily. "Now let's go!"

"I'm not going." said Gazimon.

"Nani? But why?" Labramon asked.

Gazimon rose out of the water shaking his fur a bit. "I just can't face anyone." said Gazimon.

"How come?" Labramon asked.

"You were there!" he said. "If you haven't noticed, I've been getting my butt kicked lately." Yelled Gazimon.

"Well, don't worry. Wisemon is going to train us." said Labramon.

Gazimon groaned in irritation. "Look, don't you get it? I'm weak!" Gazimon shouted.

"What good am I?" Gazimon questioned. "Now Fairydramon won't be impressed with me!" Gazimon moaned.

"Why are you so obsessed with Fairydramon?" asked Labramon.

"I can't help it. I love her." Gazimon said dramatically.

"Love?" Labramon questioned.

"That body of hers is incredible." said Gazimon. "And her beauty is like a shining ray from the sun." As Gazimon continued to fantasize, drool began to escape the corner of his lips. Soon, thoughts of a harem of female digimon entered his mind.

"Say, are you hungry?" Labramon asked, noticing Gazimon's drool.

"No, just thinking of Fairydramon and I and the life we will one day build together." said Gazimon. "Be still my beating heart." He said, putting his paw to his chest.

"His heart beats because he thinks of Fairydramon?" Labramon asked herself.

"Say Gazimon?" asked Labramon.

"Yeah?" Gazimon said, wiping the drool from his lips.

"Whenever I am around Sho-chan I get this funny feeling." said Labramon. "My heart starts beating really fast and I get really happy."

Gazimon gave a little smile and said. "Well, my friend that means one thing, you're in love."

"I'm in love with Sho-chan?" Labramon questioned.

"Yep." said Gazimon.

Labramon then gave one of the biggest grins she had ever given. "I'm in love! I'm in love! I'm in love!" Labramon shouted happily. Labramon began prancing around like a hyperactive puppy. Then she smacked right into a tree. Labramon stumbled around feeling dazed. She soon recovered herself and continued to prance around again before smacking into yet another tree.

Gazimon shook his head and followed Labramon. It was obvious to him and the other digimon that Labramon was in love with Sho. In fact, it was one of the reasons that Gazimon did not try to work his "charm" on Labramon. Still he wondered if a human and digimon could really be together.

Labramon on the other hand could not care less. The only thing that was on her mind was the feelings for her Sho-chan. Finally, Labramon knew what to call the feeling she felt whenever she was around Sho. She smiled dreamily as she gave another shout of "I'm in love!"

XXX

Meanwhile, the digidestined and their partners waited patiently for the return of Gazimon and Labramon. "Any sign of them?" Chiisi asked, to DemiDevimon.

The bat digimon was flapping in the sky looking for any trace of them. He keenly kept his eyes open until he spotted a golden figure running to their location. He figured it was Labramon. Labramon was running fast, making her way towards the group. Finally, she spotted the person she wanted to see, Sho.

"Sho-chan!" Labramon cried glomping Sho and licking his face fiercely. The poor boy didn't have time to react.

Above DemiDevimon chuckled and said, "Oh, I see something."

Sho did his best to push Labramon off. "Oh. Good to see you too." said Sho.

Labramon then stopped her licking and began to rub her head against Sho's. "Did you miss me?" Labramon asked.

"Uh yeah?" Sho said, a bit questionably.

Labramon giggled and continued to nuzzle Sho. "Oh Sho-chan I missed you too." said Labramon. "Being without you for a moment is like an eternity to me." Labramon said, flirtatiously.

Sho raised his eyebrow as Labramon allowed him to get up. As soon as he rose to his feet, Labramon immediately began rubbing against his leg.

"But where's?" Kazuya began.

"Over here!" Gazimon said, walking up to Kazuya.

"Where were you?" Kazuya asked.

"Oh…nowhere." Gazimon said.

Just then, Patamon appeared flying towards the group. "Come along. My master has set up the tests." He said.

The digidestined followed him inside the temple. After they had walked for a while, they arrived in a barren room. Before them, Wisemon was waiting.

"Ah, you have arrived." said Wisemon.

Wisemon then put his hand up and muttered something in a language that only he could understand. Five doors then materialized out of thin air.

"Before these doors lies a test for each of you." said Wisemon. "Inside, you will each face a challenge that will test you."

"Well, that's a new one." said Chiisi. "Something non-physical."

"Well at least he's not making us do his housework or something." said Jun.

"Well, that's no problem for Sho-chan and me." said Labramon. "We have a great bond."

Each child and digmon stepped up to a door and opened it. Although they were a little skeptical about going inside, they knew they really had no choice. As they entered, Patamon flapped up to Wisemon.

"Master, are you really sure they can pass?" Patamon asked.

"Hmm we will have to see." said Wisemon. "Although, I am beginning to wonder if I should have made them do housework instead."

Patamon then sighed and sweat dropped.

XXX

As Kazuya and Gazimon stepped through the door, a world of fog awaited them. "What is this place?" asked Gazimon.

"I don't know." said Kazuya. Just then the door behind them vanished. "What the!" Kazuya exclaimed. Kazuya and Gazimon looked around for any trace of their only exit from this world.

"I guess we have to pass the test." said Gazimon.

"Whatever that is." said Kazuya.

Knowing nothing else to do, the pair then decided to walk. As they walked, the fog began to clear somewhat. Kazuya's face lit up in realization.

"Wait a minute. I know this place!" exclaimed Kazuya, running forward.

"Hey, wait up!" Gazimon said, running after Kazuya.

The pair ran through the fog. One knew where he was going while the other simply followed. As they ran, the fog began to clear. Slowly the path turned into a road. Kazuya finally came to a stop.

"Kazuya where are we?" Gazimon asked.

"My old Kindergarten." Kazuya said, half in disbelief.

Sure enough Kazuya was right. Before him lay a kindergarten building. He was back in his own world, his home.

XXX

"Oh great." Sho muttered, as the door vanished.

"Daijoubu Sho-chan. It will be alright!" Labramon yipped. "You have your precious Labramon protecting you." Labramon put her head against Sho's leg as she said that, rubbing it a bit.

"Uh, well we better find out what the test is." said Sho. The chamber they were in was stone and very ornate. Something then caught Sho's eye. On a wall to the side, there was a message. As Sho went up to it, Labramon began to speak.

"Um Sho-chan, there is something I need to tell you." she began. Her face was blushing a bit.

"Hold on Labramon." Sho said waving his hand.

"Oh, okay." Labramon said, sadly.

Sho looked at the message and began to read aloud.

"_Ahead lays two things, a puzzle and a feast."_

"A feast?!" Labramon said, hungrily. Her stomach growled in response to that.

"_In order to pass the test, the puzzle must be solved. But be warned, you must not partake of any of the feast if you value your life._"

"You mean I can't eat?" Labramon asked, disappointed.

Sho shook the thoughts of a potential death out of his mind and motioned them to go forward. The pair continued down the hallway, unsure of what awaited them.

XXX

"Why does it have to be so hot?" Penguinmon whined.

"Oh shut up!" Jun exclaimed.

The pair had stepped into a desert. All around them there was nothing but sand. The sun was shining down on them. Although this was hot for Jun, this was torture to Penguinmon.

"Frankly I would choose a different area." said Jun. "We already did a desert."

"And it's so hot." Penguinmon whined.

"What did I just say?" Jun threatened.

"Sorry." Penguinmon said, shrinking back.

Jun looked around until she spotted something. Up ahead there was some sort of pedestal. On the pedestal, something was glistening off the sunlight.

"I guess we have to get whatever that is." said Jun. "Not very original.

XXX

The world Chiisi and DemiDevimon had stepped into was grey, literally. They appeared to be in some kind of jungle except everything was grey in color. The wind that blew through the trees was cold. In fact, everything in this world felt cold to Chiisi. DemiDevimon on the other hand seemed fine.

"What is this place?" Chiisi asked.

"Paradise." said DemiDevimon.

"How can this place be paradise?" Chiisi asked.

DemiDevimon closed his eyes. "You aren't a dark digimon, you would not understand."

As Chiisi wondered about his partner, his ears picked up the sound of something. It sounded almost like waves.

"I hear something." said Chiisi.

"Well, lead the way kid." said DemiDevimon, pointing with one of his wings.

XXX

Sakura gasped at the sight that lay before her. Sakura and Fairydramon did not know what kind of test awaited them. A vast battlefield lay before them, everywhere there was death and suffering. Hundreds of digimon were fighting black shadowy creatures and many were dying. Some were deleted on the spot, while others lay wounded. The whole field was set ablaze from the fighting.

Near the back of the battlefield, there was a large black mass. The only distinguishable thing in the mass was a pair of red eyes. The red then began to glow eerily. As they did, a few of the shadow creatures turned to mist and entered the wounds of the injured digimon. As the mist entered, the wounded digimon turned dark. Soon they became wild and attacked the remaining digimon that were still fighting.

"All this violence." Fairydramon said, in shock.

Sakura stepped back in fear. "What kind of test is this?" she asked.

XXX

SkullMeramon was having a fit. He had just ordered his Goblimon minions to track the signals of the digivice, despite the earlier report of them disappearing. Even though it seemed impossible to track the signals, the Goblimon knew yhey had to do something, lest they wanted to be burned alive.

"What's taking so long!" SkullMeramon demanded.

"We're doing the best we can boss!" One Goblimon said.

SkullMeramon's body then set ablaze. The sheer heat made the Goblimon sweat. "I don't care that you're doing you're best, I just want it done!" SkullMeramon demanded.

The Goblimon timidly began to work until, "Boss, I have a signal!" one Goblimon said.

Sure enough, the five colored blips appeared on the screen. SkullMeramon smiled sadistically. "Set a course for that location." he said.

"But boss we don't know where that is. We could end up destroying the Blimpmon!" One Goblimon said.

SkullMeramon simply flared up his fist in response. The Goblimon received the message and reluctantly set a course for the digivice signals.

XXX

Sho and Labramon made their way through the hallway. The only sounds were their own footsteps. Sho didn't like this. This whole scenario screamed "monster will pop out and eat you" to him. Still, the pair continued forward. The hallway at last ended, revealing a very large room. At the end was some sort of pedestal.

"I guess that must be the test." said Sho.

"And that must be the feast." said Labramon. In the center of the room, was a table filled with an assortment of food. Several chairs surrounded it.

Sho looked down to see his partner had a hungry look on her face.

"Labramon don't." Sho warned.

"But Sho-chan, I'm hungry!" Labramon whined.

"You're always hungry." Sho retorted.

"But…" Labramon began.

"No! Besides you heard what the instructions said." Sho scolded.

Labramon put her head down with a defeated look on her face. "Okay Sho-chan, you win."

"You promise not to eat anything?" Sho asked.

"I promise!" Labramon said, sticking out her chest.

Sho and Labramon walked towards the pedestal. When they reached it, they found several tiles. From the way they were arranged, it seemed like they formed a picture…a scrambled picture that is.

"Well, I guess I just have to rearrange these." said Sho. "Hold on Labramon. I'm good at these."

As Sho began to work on the puzzle, Labramon took one last look at the feast before her. How she wanted to taste it. Slowly she began to work her way towards it. Before she knew it she was right in front of the table. She gazed at the food. It seemed to beckon to her. Labramon's mouth began to water as she became torn between her love of Sho and her love of food. Unfortunately, her stomach won this round.

"Oh just one bite." Labramon said to herself. She then hopped on a chair and carefully leapt onto the table so as to not alert Sho. Labramon put her mouth to some grapes and ate one.

"Mmmm yummy." Labramon said to herself. Soon, Labramon began to eat more. She had totally forgotten her promise to Sho and now her mind just told her to eat. But, because of Labramon's disobedience, something had now woken up. It could sense the rule had been broken and now someone had to pay.

Labramon and Sho had no idea of what was about to happen, Sho continued to work on his puzzle while Labramon continue to feast. Sho worked hard on the puzzle, arranging the tiles very carefully, thinking very carefully before he made his next move. Then at last Sho was done. The image that the tiles formed looked almost similar to a yin yang symbol.

Giving himself a smile of accomplishment, Sho turned around. "Hey Labramon I'm done. We can go now." He said, as he turned. He then gaped at what he saw. He saw Labramon stuffing herself silly with food.

"Labramon, what are you doing?!" Sho shouted. Labramon however was so engrossed in eating, that she did not hear Sho.

"Grrrrr." A growl sounded out. Sho turned to see something materialize. It appeared to be a large digimon. It looked like a Doberman. It wore a spiked color and had eyes on the side of its legs. His spine could be seen visibly underneath the skin of its back. This digimon was called Dobermon.

"Labramon." Sho said, as he backed away in fear. Labramon could still not hear Sho as she was busy gnawing on a turkey. Dobermon continued to stalk towards Sho. With a growl, Dobermon leapt forward and Sho quickly scrambled out of the way. He ducked under the table crawling frantically to get away. Just then, Sho heard a loud crash as Dobermon leapt onto the table. Food scattered everywhere. Labramon too was knocked from the table, hitting the floor with a thud.

"Huh what?" Labramon said, dazed as she regained her senses.

"Stay away!" Sho screamed. Dobermon was in his face. Saliva dripped from its growling maw.

"Sho-chan." Labramon gasped. "Retrieve Bark!"

Dobermon gave a growl of pain as the attack hit him. He then turned to face a growling Labramon.

Get away from my human!" Labramon demanded.

Dobermon growled in response and began to run towards Labramon. "Oh!" Labramon yelped as she narrowly avoided being chomped on. "Retrieve Bark!" Labramon fired another attack at one of Dobermon's eye legs. He howled in pain as the attack hit. Labramon then continued to fire more until Dobermon disappeared in a black haze.

"Oh, I guess he wasn't a real digimon. Was that why he was so weak?" Labramon asked herself.

She then looked towered Sho. He was kneeling down gasping. Labramon padded up to him with concern in her eyes.

"Sho-chan, are you alright?" she asked, worriedly.

"You promised me you wouldn't eat anything!" Sho yelled.

"I'm sorry Sho-chan Hic!" Labramon hiccupped, putting a paw to her muzzle. "I started eating and I was in some sort of trance and I couldn't stop." Labramon pleaded, her face blushed a bit.

"I was almost killed because you broke your promise!" Sho yelled. "I guess your stomach is more important than me!"

Labramon put her head down. "I'm sorry." She muttered.

Sho rose to his feat and gave an angry groan. "Well I solved the puzzle so I think we can leave." said Sho. Sho then began to head towards the hallway. Labramon followed him, her head down all the way. She did not even mention she was still hungry.

XXX

Chiisi and Demidevimon continued to trek through the dark jungle. The sound of crashing waves became louder with each step they took. The jungle ended at a cliff. Before them, there lay a vast ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see. The black waves crashed against the rocks below. Chiisi looked up at the grey sky and shivered as the wind blew.

"Everything is so dark." said Chiisi.

"Ahh I know. Isn't it great?" DemiDevimon asked.

Chiisi ignored his partner's comment. Still, a part of him seemed to find comfort in this dismal place. "Welcome, child of darkness." said a voice, jarring Chiisi from his thoughts.

"Who's there?" Chiisi asked, with fear in his voice.

"I am the ruler of this domain, this World of Darkness." the voice spoke.

"World of Darkness?" Chiisi asked.

"Wait a minute. Isn't this the place evil digimon go when they die?" asked DemiDevimon.

The voice simply chuckled, "Correct."

"Here, the souls of many evil digimon remain trapped, few can escape to be reborn." the voice continued. "But few humans are in tune with this realm."

"What do you mean?" Chiisi asked.

"Even now I can feel your comfort in being here." the voice said. "The darkness calls to you."

Chiisi was just about to run when suddenly he felt something wet. He looked down to see he was standing in water. It looked deep but for some reason he was standing in it as if it were shallow. He winced his eyes looking forward, but a thick fog covered the area. Chiisi looked around but DemiDevimon was nowhere to be seen. Then a loud splash erupted as a figure rose out of the water. The strange figure towered over Chiisi and a guttural growl emitted from it. Although it was hard to see, under the fog Chiisi could make out tentacled arms and wings.

"Welcome." said the figure. It then reached out, a tentacle grasped Chiisi wrapping itself around him. It felt cold and wet as Chiisi squirmed in it. "You belong with us down here." it continued.

"No!" Chiisi screamed.

"Don't resist boy! Here you can immerse yourself in darkness, you could master it!" It said. "All you lack is knowledge."

"No, I don't want any knowledge. I hate darkness!" Chiisi screamed.

"Chiisi!" Chiisi then opened his eyes to see DemiDevimon flapping beside him. He looked around to see he was back on the cliffside.

"What happened kid? You just blanked out for a moment." DemiDevimon asked.

"I'm fine." Chiisi said flatly.

Chiisi just got up and began to walk back the way he came. DemiDevimon followed him wondering what had transpired. He thought about asking Chiisi, but he decided not to press it. Meanwhile, far away deep beneath the ocean, the dark undersea master felt very pleased. The child still showed fear of darkness but in time, he would learn to accept it. When that time came, the child would become a great asset to the powers of darkness, but for now he would wait.

XXX

Jun went over her goal. All she had to do was get whatever was on that pedestal. "Alright let's go." Jun said to Penguinmon.

Penguinmon gave a dejected look. "But Jun, it's too hot." said Penguinmon.

"I'm not going to carry you." said Jun.

Penguinmon looked down and began to follow his partner. Jun began to run towards the pedestal. Penguinmon waddled behind her trying to keep up.

"Jun, wait up!" said Penguinmon.

"Look, I want to get done with this as soon as I can so jus-" Jun began. Suddenly, the sand erupted revealing a large figure. It appeared to be a large red insect digimon. It had no eyes and had two pinchers where its nose would have been. It also had two large wings.

"What is that?!" Jun asked.

"T-that's a Kuwagamon!" said Penguinmon.

Kuwagamon roared and lunged at the pair. "Run you idiot!" Jun screamed at Penguinmon. Penguinmon snapped out of his fear and began to run toward his partner. Kuwagamon however was quick to act. He flew toward the pair and reached his claw toward Jun.

"Jun watch out!" Penguinmon yelled. He leapt with all his might. He hit Jun knocking her back. Kuwagamon grabbed Penguinmon and squeezed him tight.

"Hey, let him go you asshole!" Jun demanded.

"Jun just get out of here!" Penguinmon screamed.

Jun wanted to do something but she had no idea what. Then she looked toward the pedestal and got an idea. She then made a break for it. Kuwagamon finally snapped out of his enjoyment of tormenting Penguinmon to notice Jun holding up an item. He started to fly towards her but he then simply faded away. Penguinmon fell down with a yell feebly flapping his flippers.

Jun gazed at the item she held. It appeared to be a green colored medal. In its center was a symbol of a teardrop. Tossing it in the air, she walked towards Penguinmon.

"You alright?" Jun asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." Penguinmon said, spitting out some sand.

"I figured that bug was a part of the test and he disappeared once I got this medal.

Penguinmon then began to whimper. Tears of joy welled up in his eyes. "Then that means you do care about me!" Penguinmon exclaimed, hugging Jun's leg. Penguinmon was then sent back flying as Jun kicked him off.

"Don't get any ideas!" Jun spat. "I only hurried cause I wanted to get this done with!"

Penguinmon gave a disappointed sigh. They both looked up as they heard a loud cracking sound. The medal Jun was tossing around suddenly broke into several pieces. As the pieces fell to the ground, Jun noticed it had dulled in color. Before she could wonder, a door then appeared.

"Guess the test is done." said Jun. "Come on, let's go."

Penguinmon followed his partner. For once, he thought his partner cared about him as he cared about her.

XXX

Sakura continued to stare at the carnage before her. All this suffering was too intense for her. She wanted to help the digimon but she had no idea what to do.

"What test is this?" she asked herself.

"Do you want to end their suffering?" a female voice asked.

Sakura and Fairydramon looked up in surprise. "Who's there?" Sakura asked.

"Do you want to end their suffering?" the voice asked again.

"Yes I do!" Sakura said, frantically. Then without warning, a bright light appeared. Sakura and Fairydramon shielded their eyes as they looked at what lay before them. In front of them was a pink colored light. Sakura gazed at it for a moment, mesmerized.

"Sakura be careful." Fairydramon warned.

"But it's light." said Sakura. As she walked toward it, she felt calm. After all, light had always been associated with good and darkness with evil. She drew closer to it reaching her hand out. Without hesitation, she thrust her hand in it and was instantly enveloped. The feeling that came over her was warm.

As the light disappeared, Sakura could feel it coursing within her. Her body glowed with a pink aura. The aura then moved form her body and into her digivice. The white color of her digivice then changed to pink. She looked upon the battlefield. She picked up her digivice and pointed it towards the black mass.

"Die." said Sakura. A bright pink beam shot out of her digivice straight at the mass. A pained roar erupted from it until it disappeared completely.

"Sakura, that was incredible!" Fairydramon said, in amazement.

Sakura ignored her partner's praise and looked at the infected digimon. Fairydramon looked questionably at Sakura as she pointed her digivice towards an infected digimon. Without a word, Sakura shot another beam from her digivice and eradicated the digimon.

"Sakura, what are you doing?!" Fairydramon asked in shock.

"It had the taint of darkness, it had to be eliminated." Sakura said flatly. "They all need to be destroyed." Sakura continued to fire beams of light at the digimon deleting them.

"Sakura stop!" Fairydramon yelled. She jumped at Sakura knocking her down. She wrestled with the girl trying to cal her down. With a swipe of her claw, she knocked the digivice out of her hand. Sakura then snapped to attention looking around. "What happened?" she asked.

"You don't remember?" Fairydramon asked.

Sakura shook her head, but then a look of realization came to her face. "Wait a minute its starting to come back." Sakura said.

She gasped as the memory of what she did came back to her. "I killed them?" she asked.

Fairydramon nodded. "Yes, it was like you became a different person."

Sakura rose to her feet confused. She thought light was good but what she had done had seemed evil. She looked toward her digivice, which had now reverted to its white color. She picked it up gazing at it sadly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." said Fairydramon. "Even pure light could be as bad as pure darkness."

Sakura gave Fairydramon a little smile. Sakura had to agree, without light, darkness could not exist and vice versa. Both were needed to maintain balance. "You're right." Sakura said, as the door appeared. The pair turned toward it and opened it.

XXX

Kazuya stared questionably at his kindergarten building. He began to wonder if he was really back on Earth. What kind of test would be here? His eyes then caught something which made him gasp.

"What is it, Kazuya?" Gazimon asked.

"No, it can't be." Kazuya said to himself.

Kazuya had seen a car pull up. It belonged to his sister Keiko. But when Keiko stepped out, she looked like the way she looked nine years ago. The day that Kazuya never wanted to think about, but couldn't get out of his mind.

The fog grew thick around Kazuya and Gazimon, and when it dispersed, they were in a different location. Kazuya immediately recognized it as inside his kindergarten. He was now staring at a five year old version of himself. He was dressed in his old kindergarten clothes. His goggles were too big for him at this age so he simply wore them around his neck.

"Say, who's that kid?" Gazimon asked.

"That's me when I was five years old." said Kazuya.

Gazimon did a double take before exclaiming. "Wait a minute. How can there be two of you?!"

"I think this is just the past." said Kazuya. "It's a day I wish I could forget."

Then his sister entered the door with a forlorn look on her face.

"Keiko?" his young self asked. "What's wrong?"

His sister knelt down. "Kazuya, listen to me." Keiko began. "There was an accident."

"An accident? Where are Mom and Dad?" young Kazuya asked.

Tears began to well up in Keiko's eyes. "No, not this." Kazuya said to himself.

"Kazuya I'm sorry. There was a hit and run. They were killed on impact." Keiko choked out.

Both Kazuya's froze. They were silent for a moment until tears began to stream from their eyes. Gazimon looked up at his partner. He wanted to comfort him but he didn't know what to say.

"Aww isn't that sad!" a voice mocked. Kazuya and Gazimon turned to the direction of the voice. They had heard that voice from somewhere before. The room became foggy making it hard to see. They could make out a figure coming out of the fog…a figure that appeared to be on fire. At that moment Kazuya and Gazimon instantly recognized who it was.

"SkullMeramon!" they both said in unison.

"Well isn't this interesting. Your mommy and daddy bit the big one and now you're still crying about it." SkullMeramon mocked.

"Shut up!" shouted Kazuya.

"Oh you gonna cry again?" SkullMeramon cackled.

Kazuya and Gazimon stepped back. Both of them wanted to do something but they knew they couldn't beat this guy. Not even Genkimon was able to put a dent in him the last time they fought.

"That's right you two, slink away in fear. Live forever in it." SkullMeramon said.

XXX

Meanwhile…

The other digidestined and their digimon had just left their doors and were greeted by Patamon and Wisemon.

"Welcome back!" Patamon greeted.

"I see you are finished with your tests." said Wisemon.

"Um, excuse me sir. But what exactly were those tests about?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, and more importantly, did we pass?" Jun asked.

"Well, to answer the first question, those tests were to prepare you for activating your digi-cores." said Wisemon. "In order for your digimon to evolve with them, you must show the trait of the digi-core. Now as for you passing the tests, yes and no." Wisemon continued.

"What do you mean yes and no?" Jun asked.

"The tests were to prepare you. There was really no winning involved." said Wisemon. "But you all managed to get through the tests."

"But Kazuya and Gazimon are not here." said Sakura.

Everyone glanced to look at the only remaining door. "Hmm he and his partner must still be in their test." said Wisemon. "Must be a powerful illusion."

"So they were all illusions?" Chiisi asked.

Wisemon looked at the boy. He could sense that he went through something frightful.

"Yes. These illusions took the shape of your fears, or the traits you carry which are hidden." said Wisemon.

Although Chiisi was a little satisfied with the answer he received, a part of him felt that his test was no illusion. Wisemon felt the same way. For now they all waited for Kazuya and Gazimon to exit.

XXX

"Boss, we made it." the Goblimon said.

SkullMeramon looked up in anticipation. Sure enough the screen displayed the digivice signals.

"Alright, head the Blimpmon to their location!" SkullMeramon said eagerly.

"But sir, there's some invisible barrier we can't get through." One Gablimon said.

"Well fire at it!" SkullMeramon yelled.

The Goblimon immediately went to work punching in the right buttons. "Activating Zeppelin Explosion!" a Goblimon said.

Outside. Two missiles were fired from the Blimpmon's topside cannons. Inside SkullMeramon anticipated the missiles breaking through. But to his disappointment, all he heard was "The missiles didn't get through."

"Grahh! If you want something done, do it yourself!" SkullMeramon yelled.

SkullMeramon made his way to the top of the Blimpmon (a task that was not so easy). At the top, he began to charge up.

"Heavy Metal Fire!" He shouted. He blew the flame at the invisible barrier, with all of his might. He kept applying more force, his body heating up even more. His Goblimon minions began to worry that he might overheat the Blimpmon. Then to SkullMeramon's sadistic delight, he heard a crack followed by an even louder crack.

XXX

Everyone in Wisemon's abode heard the loud noise. Wisemon looked up in shock. "The barrier's been broken." said Wisemon.

"But how can that be, master? No one can break through your barriers!" Patamon exclaimed.

"Only someone very powerful can break through." said Wisemon.

At that moment, everyone had a suspicion who it was, and they would be right. SkullMeramon had arrived and he was ready to fight.

To be continued……


	14. Chapter 14

The digidestined looked on in horror as the familiar shape of SkullMeramon's Blimpmon was approaching them. It was just like the assault on Driver City and they knew there would be chaos to follow. Penguinmon immediately hid behind Jun while Labramon and Fairydramon took on defensive stances. DemiDevimon was the only one that seemed calm. In fact, he looked rather excited as he anticipated the carnage that SkullMeramon would bring.

"What are we going to do now!?" asked Sho.

"It's obvious we have to fight, Sanbara!" said Jun

"Wait a minute. What about Kazuya and Gazimon?!" asked Sakura.

Wisemon simply waved his hand muttering some incantation under his breath.

"Done." said Wisemon.

XXX

Kazuya and Gazimon backed away from SkullMeramon. With each step they took back, he took a step forward. The ground left heated footprints as he walked. SkullMeramon raised his fist. It glowed with heat and flame.

"DIE!!!!" SkullMeramon yelled as he brought his fist forward.

Just as Kazuya and Gazimon prepared themselves for death, the whole area vanished into thin air. Before they knew it, the pair was back in Wisemon's home.

"What happened? Where's SkullMeramon?!" asked Gazimon.

"Guys!" Kazuya and Gazimon turned around to see the others running toward them.

"Kazuya, Gazimon, SkullMeramon is on his way!" Sakura said, urgently.

"Yeah, I know. He almost fried us." said Kazuya.

"The SkullMeramon you fought was simply an illusion." said Wisemon.

"An illusion?" Kazuya questioned. A large explosion rocked the area and alerted them toward the doorway.

"Well, if you all will excuse me, I have a fight to go to." said DemiDevimon.

"In his own sadistic way he's right. We must fight." said Fairydramon.

Penguinmon let go of Jun's leg, taking a step forward. "If I have to fight to protect Jun then I-I g-guess I will." He said shakingly. The fear was evident in his voice.

Labramon gazed at Sho. This would be her chance to make it up to him. "Come on everyone. Let's go get that meanie!" She said.

"They're right, you know." said Chiisi. "We knew this would come so we might as well fight."

Jun, Sho, and Sakura nodded their heads raising their digivices. Their partners took off running with them in fast pursuit. Gazimon started to run after them.

"Gazimon wait!" Kazuya yelled.

"Kazuya what's wrong? We have to go!" Gazimon said.

Kazuya looked hesitant for a moment. Normally he would be willing to head into the face of danger but now, he was not so sure.

"Kazuya!" Gazimon prodded.

Kazuya looked down, unsure of what to do. Finally, he gave in, seeing as there was no other choice.

"All right let's go." He said, begrudgingly.

The pair then went off to join their companions. As they left, Patamon flew up to Wisemon.

"Master don't you think you should do something?" Patamon asked.

"Not just yet." said Wisemon.

XXX

SkullMeramon enjoyed the mayhem he was causing. The trees burst into flames as he walked. A trail of flame and blackened wood was left behind in his wake. He walked with the same sadistic look on his face. However, his face turned to joy as he came across Wisemon's house.

"Oh isn't this my day." He said, as he saw the assembled digidestined.

He saw their determined expressions mixed with fear. He liked that, it made him battle hungry.

"Well, you little brats made me bored searching for you and I hate being bored." said SkullMeramon. "So come on. Evolve your digimon pets so I can rip them apart!"

The digidestined held up their digivices. Their digimon stood ready as the digivices glowed along with them.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**"

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**"

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**"

"**Fairydramon evolve! Tiamon!**"

The cries of their evolutions sounded out as a light illuminated the surroundings. SkullMeramon looked on in anticipation as the five champions appeared.

"Now that's more like it!" said SkullMeramon. "Well, what are you waiting for?! I'm ready!" he demanded.

"Well it's now or never!" Tiamon said.

"Yeah, I've been waiting for some payback." Genkimon said, cracking his knuckles.

"Don't be drastic. He's tough." Saberdramon said. He really did not want to be here.

"Don't chicken out on us." Devimon said to Saberdramon.

"Uh maybe we should attack?" Shiisamon attacked.

With that, the five digimon charged towards SkullMeramon at once. The digidestined stood there hoping that their partners would be alright. Kazuya was especially worried for his partner. SkullMeramon laughed as the digimon charged at him. "How stupid can they be?" he questioned himself.

"Genki Laser!"

"Razor Wing!"

"Tiidaiya!" Genkimon, Devimon, and Shiisamon shouted using their projectile attacks.

SkullMeramon raised his eyes in surprise as the attacks hit him. He didn't expect them to not rush in headfirst.

"Wow did you see that? They tricked him!" Sakura said.

"Making him think they were going to attack him head first, that's rather smart." said Chiisi.

SkullMeramon composed himself, staring angrily at the digimon. He hated to be tricked, especially in a fight. His anger started to rise and his whole body lit up. With a growl, he charged toward the nearest thing in front of him. Genkimon, Shiisamon, and Devimon prepared themselves for the attack.

"AGGHH!" SkullMeramon yelled, slamming his fist into the ground. An explosion of flames enveloped the area. The fires passed by the three digimon catching them off guard. Before they could react, SkullMeramon appeared from behind the flames. In a flash, he kicked Shiisamon right in the head.

"AHHH!" Shiisamon yelled as the kick knocked her to the ground. She lay dazed on the ground trying to get up.

"Why you!" Genkimon yelled.

"Genki Rush!"

"Touch of Evil!" Genkimon and Devimon shouted. SkullMeramon simply grabbed Genkimon's fist and Devimon's arm.

"I don't like being tricked." SkullMeramon said, menacingly. As he said that, his fists flared up. Genkimon and Devimon cried in pain as the flames burned them. A blast of fire erupted from both of his hands sending the pair flying.

Up above, Tiamon and Saberdramon watched the battle. Tiamon looked down angrily as her companions were being struck down.

"He's a barbarian." said Tiamon. "I'm going to do something."

"But Tiamon, all you have are fire attacks. There's nothing you can do." said Saberdramon.

"Well I'm not going to sit here and do nothing!" said Tiamon.

With that, Tiamon flew down towards SkullMeramon. Saberdramon continued to hover not sure of what to do.

SkullMeramon walked towards Genkimon. Genkimon was still weakened from SkullMeramon's attack. He struggled to get up but soon he felt SkullMeramon's foot beating down on his chest. As the beating stopped, he looked up to see SkullMeramon holding one of his chains.

"I'm going to enjoy this." said SkullMeramon.

"Genkimon!" Kazuya yelled.

Just as SkullMeramon was about to deliver the blow, a green flash rammed into him. Genkimon looked up to see it was Tiamon.

"Are you alright?" Tiamon asked. Her face then faulted when she saw Genkimon latched on to her tail. The sight made him look quite silly. Kazuya and the other digidestined looked embarrassed.

"Oh, my sweet honey, you came to my rescue!" Genkimon said.

Tiamon responded by smashing her tail into the ground and Genkimon along with it.

"On second thought, stay there." Tiamon said flatly.

With that, Tiamon charged towards SkullMeramon. SkullMeramon held out his arms as Tiamon rammed him headfirst. They both struggled trying to topple each other.

"You? Didn't you learn from our last fight that fire doesn't work on me?" SkullMeramon asked.

"I have other tricks beside fire." Tiamon said.

Tiamon then snorted smoke form her nostrils right in SkullMeramon's eyes. He reeled back a bit blinded by the attack.

"You damn liz-AGGHHH!" SkullMeramon yelled as Tiamon smacked him with her tail into some trees.

"That's the way to do it Tiamon!" Sakura cheered.

Tiamon couldn't help but smile at the praise. Her smile turned to a determined look as the trees around SkullMeramon burst into flames. SkullMeramon rose with a furious look on his face.

"Mach Shadow!" A black shadow enveloped SkullMeramon. Saberdramon flew down towards the ground happy he could make a contribution to the fight.

"Well, he finally decided to step in." said Jun.

SkullMeramon struggled in the shadows trying to break free. As he struggled, Shiisamon and Devimon rose and made their way towards him.

"Razor Wing!" Devimon cried sending out his attack.

Shiisamon was still feeling a bit dizzy but gathered herself enough to attack.

"Tiidaiya!" Shiisamon cried.

SkullMeramon's anger rose as he was hit by the attacks. His body began to glow within the shadow until he let out a mighty yell. The shadow dissipated into nothingness. The digimon were in shock, for a moment they thought they had him.

"I have to admit you got good." said SkullMeramon. "Now, let me show you real skill!" he yelled characteristically.

"Heavy Metal Fire!" SkullMeramon exhaled a stream of flame in a circle. The flame grew high causing the digimon to back away. Just as quickly as the flame rose, SkullMeramon dove out of the flames and lunged at Shiisamon.

"Sek-ow." Shiisamon started to attack, but she was cut off by SkullMeramon's punch.

Devimon and Tiamon lunged at SkullMeramon as he started beating on Shiisamon. SkullMeramon saw them from the corner of his eye. He picked up Shiisamon and threw her at the oncoming Devimon. Then he threw one of his chains around Tiamon's neck and then used it to hoist himself towards her delivering a punch to her jaw.

As he saw his companions falling, Saberdramon backed away in fear. Even though he looked fierce on the outside, he was still Penguinmon underneath. SkullMeramon saw that fear and smiled. Saberdramon gulped as SkullMeramon walked toward him.

"Hey, I'm not through with you yet!" Both digimon turned their attention to see Genkimon ready to fight.

"You again?" SkullMeramon asked.

With that, Genkimon charged up another Genki Rush and flew towards SkullMeramon. The two locked arms in battle as they tried to overcome each other. They traded blows in rapid succession punch to punch, kick to kick. The fight ended when SkullMeramon rammed his fist right into Genkimon's stomach. He grabbed his stomach in pain trying to catch his breath.

"They're getting beaten!" said Sakura.

"You always have to state the obvious, don't you?" Jun asked sarcastically.

Sakura looked at her questionably.

"Well, at least your digimon actually did something." said Jun.

"Perhaps it's time I stepped in." The digidestined turned around to see Wisemon.

Without a word, he walked towards the battlefield. "Go get them master!" Patamon shouted.

SkullMeramon noticed Wisemon walking towards him. "What's this, another one? Well fine. I have lots of energy!" SkullMeramon said, in sadistic excitement.

"I think you have wrecked my home quite a bit." said Wisemon. Wisemon held out his hands.

"Eight balls of lust!" cried Wisemon. Eight multicolored metallic balls materialized beside him encircling his right hand. The digidestined and SkullMeramon cocked their heads in confusion. Wisemon gave a forward motion with his right hand and seven of the balls went straight towards SkullMeramon's chest. One of the balls headed towards the Blimpmon, moments later it burst through the walls of the control center and started bouncing around destroying various equipment (and hitting a few Goblimon).

"What the?!" SkullMeramon cried in confusion.

The balls then flew around wildly, striking him in various places. His head, arms, his legs, and places that shouldn't be mentioned. As SkullMeramon was being pummeled, Wisemon turned to the digidestined.

"It's time that you were freed from harms way. Goodbye digidestined. We will meet again." said Wisemon. With a motion of his hand, the digidestined and their digimon vanished.

"No!" SkullMeramon screamed. "You're going to pay for that!" he said, whilst the balls struck him.

Wisemon simply waved his hand again and the whole area vanished. SkullMeramon looked at his surroundings. He was in a large grassy field. The Blimpmon still hung in the air, but Wisemon's forest was nowhere to be seen. His whole body flared up as he gave an angry cry of "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

XXX

Patamon looked around at the destruction the fight had caused. "Oh, all those trees were destroyed." He said. "That fool didn't have to be so destructive!"

"Yes. If only I could remember that tree regrowing spell." said Wisemon.

Patamon sweatdropped at his master's forgetfulness.

Wisemon and Patamon headed back towards the house. As he walked, he pondered what was in store for the digidestined. He just hoped the lessons today had prepared them.

XXX

The children and their digimon landed with a thud. The group gathered themselves, picking themselves off the ground. The area they had landed in appeared to be some sort of forest. In the distance, they could make out the sounds of waves.

"A forest. How original." said Jun.

"Oh shut up." said Kazuya. Kazuya then started to look frantically around. "Where's Genkimon!"

"Uh, right here." Kazuya turned to see Gazimon lying right next to him. Kazuya rushed over to his digimon and started to shake him.

"Gazimon speak to me!" Kazuya pleaded.

"Hey, hey I'm fine. Stop shaking me." Gazimon said.

Kazuya stopped shaking his partner, setting him down. "Sorry. I was worried." Kazuya apologized.

"It looks like they all turned back into their rookie forms." said Sakura.

Sure enough, the other digimon had turned back into their rookie forms along with Gazimon.

"That battle went well." DemiDevimon said, sarcastically.

"I agree. We could have done better." said Fairydramon.

"Don't remind me. I don't want to ever fight him again." Penguinmon whined.

Jun gave her partner a look. "You barely even fought." She said.

"I helped a bit." said Penguinmon.

"But what happened to Wisemon?"

Chiisi looked around, as if searching for something. "Where's Sho?" He asked.

Everyone looked around. Sho was indeed gone. At that, Labramon immediately began searching around.

"Sho-chan is missing?!" She asked, hysterically. Labramon could not believe it. She had disappointed Sho and now he was missing. Labramon ran frantically around calling out Sho's name and trying to sniff him out.

XXX

Meanwhile in another part of the forest, a cry rang out. After Wisemon teleported them away, Sho had strayed in the teleportation. This was mainly due to Wisemon forgetting an important part of the spell. Sho found himself hanging on the branch of a tree and now it had snapped, sending him screaming to the floor. He landed face first with a thud.

"Perfect." Sho said sarcastically, spitting out grass. He dusted himself off as he looked around at his new surroundings. The others were nowhere in sight. They were probably wondering where he was.

"Labramon must be having a heart attack." He said to himself. But a thought crossed Sho's mind. "Then again, she's probably worried where the nearest place to eat is."

Just then, a voice broke Sho's train of thought. "Leave me alone!" The voice sounded female. Sho rushed to the source of the voice. He came near a stream where several digimon were attacking another digimon. The attacking digimon looked like floating clams with pink shells and markings shaped like eyes. The digimon that was being attacked looked like a white seal with an orangish red mohawk. The clam digimon would open up their shells revealing their green bodies as they shot out small black pearls.

The seal digimon was barely able to fend off her attackers and she looked like she was in pretty bad shape. She needed help, but Sho knew he was on his own. Sho looked around for anything he could use. Luckily, he spotted a large branch a few feet away from him. Picking it up, he charged towards them swinging wildly. Sho wasn't much for reckless heroics, but right now Sho felt it was needed.

The clam digimon were taken by surprise. Sho hit them several times. Finally with a shriek they ran (or floated) off.

"Are you alright?" Sho asked the digimon.

The seal digimon rose slowly and opened her eyes. Without warning she leapt onto Sho's leg, hugging it tightly.

"Oh thank you! You saved my life! I would have been killed by those Syakomon if you hadn't shown up!" She said.

The digimon let go of Sho's leg and gazed at him dreamily. "You're a human, aren't you?" She asked.

"Um yeah." said Sho.

"Well I never expected a human to be so heroic and handsome." She said.

Sho gawked and raised an eyebrow. The digimon giggled and continued to stare at Sho with that same dreamy look.

"My name is Gomamon. What's yours big boy?" She asked

Sho blushed and stammered. "I-It's Sh-Sho."

"That's a nice name." Gomamon said.

"Look, I'm glad you're okay, but I have to look for my friends." said Sho, picking up his digivice.

The moment Sho started to walk away, he heard Gomamon let out a cry. He turned to see her wincing in pain.

"Those brutes hit me too hard could you carry me?" Gomamon asked.

"Carry you?" Sho asked.

"Please? Once you find your friends, I can take you to my village." Gomamon pleaded.

Giving a sigh, Sho picked up Gomamon who immediately grabbed onto his back. She sunk her head into Sho's back with a dreamy sigh. Sho blushed even further.

XXX

The others continued their search for Sho. Despite the factthat they had gotten separated, they were easily able to track Sho with their digivices. Labramon didn't seem to care. She continued to search for Sho obsessively.

"Wow, she sure is devoted." said Sakura.

"Yes, to her partner and her stomach." Fairydramon added, giving a slight chuckle.

Sakura laughed a bit at her partner's comment and then turned towards Kazuya. He was walking rather close to Gazimon keeping his eyes on him. Ever since they had left Wisemon's place, Kazuya seemed different. To Sakura it felt like something was waning……his courage.

"Guys!" Sakura and everyone else snapped to attention as Sho came out of the bushes.

"Sho-chan!" Labramon said, perking her head up. She was about to glomp Sho when she noticed Gomamon. Gomamon poked her head from behind Sho.

"Oh, are these your friends?" Gomamon asked.

"Yeah." said Sho.

"Sho, who is that?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, this is Gomamon." said Sho.

Gomamon then nuzzled her head into Sho's shoulder. Everyone had a shocked look on his or her faces. Labramon just stood there with her mouth wide open.

"That's right. If it wasn't for Sho-sama, I would have been killed." Said Gomamon.

"Sho-sama?" Jun snickered.

"Sho-sama?" Labramon said, shocked.

As the others stood there with bewildered faces, an idea popped into Gomamon's head.

"Say, why don't you all come to my village? We would really love to have you and it's a great place to relax!" said Gomamon. "It would be perfect for a hero like Sho-sama!"

Gomamon continued to rub her head against Sho's back. The more she did it the more Labramon felt a twinge of anger in her heart.

"Well, I think we deserve to relax after that fight." said Gazimon.

"I think you're right. Well Gomamon, lead the way." said Kazuya.

Gomamon then pointed in the direction of her village and the group followed. Labramon walked directly behind Sho, growling softly as she looked at Gomamon. The jealousy in her heart continued to grow even more.

XXX

SkullMeramon was furious…then again, that was normal. The digidestined had escaped him again and to make things worse, Wisemon had damaged his Blimpmon's computers. The navigational controls still worked but he could no longer track the digidestined by their digivice signals. After taking it out on his Goblimon minions, he had started to cool down (a little).

"Um sir, shall we get back to finding the digidestined?" A Goblimon asked. His body was covered in burns and bruises.

"No. I'll check them myself. Head back to base and fix that piece of junk!" SkullMeramon ordered.

"But that's all the way in Directory!" A Goblimon whined.

"Not there! My base!" Said SkullMeramon as he ran off. He had some kids to find.

XXX

"Voila. Here we are." Said Gomamon, pointing a flipper to her village.

The village was situated right next to the sea. Several Gomamon sat near the beach soaking up the sun, while a few were swimming in the water.

"A beach?" Chiisi said.

"Well, we were bound to run into one in this kind of adventure." said DemiDevimon.

Gomamon flopped down from Sho's back landing on the sandy beach.

"I'm a fast healer." She said to the others.

One of the swimming Gomamon looked up from the water noticing Gomamon's presence.

"Hey, look everyone. Gomamon is back!" he said. The other Gomamon began to crowd around the group greeting their fellow Gomamon.

"Hey Gomamon, where were you?" One Gomamon asked.

"Oh, those Syakomon attacked me Gomamon, but Sho-sama rescued me." She said, pointing to Sho.

Labramon began to growl softly again, she pawed the ground furiously her eye twitching in annoyance at someone calling her Sho "Sho-sama".

"Well we're glad you're alright Gomamon." another Gomamon said.

Jun then stepped forward waving her hands in confusion. "Wait a minute. You're all named Gomamon?" The Gomamon nodded in response.

"Doesn't that get confusing?" Jun asked.

"No not at all." A Gomamon said. "Hey Gomamon!" The Gomamon called to another Gomamon that was still in the water. It looked up and said "Yeah?"

"See?" The Gomamon said.

Jun blinked her eyes in amazement but dismissed her thoughts of confusion muttering a "whatever".

"Say Gomamon, are these the people that are going to help?" One of the Gomamon asked.

"Why of course. Sho-sama and his friends would be happy to help!" The female Gomamon remarked

"Wait, what do you mean help?" Kazuya asked.

Gomamon then turned to them and started her tale. "A few months ago, The Syakomon started attacking us for unknown reasons."

"Uh, maybe it was because we teased them and played jokes on them." A male Gomamon said.

"Oh come on. Those were all in the name of humor!" The female Gomamon said.

She cleared her throat and continued her tale "Shortly after that, the cove where we used to swim and fish in became murky and polluted. We tried to fight back, but they had some big digimon protecting them."

"So let me guess. You need us to take care of it for you?" said Kazuya.

"Well yes. I mean, when I came across you guys I figured you could do it." Gomamon said.

Kazuya looked at Gazimon and then at the Gomamon. He put his head down with a serious look on his face. "Sorry but we have more important things to do." said Kazuya.

Sakura gasped in surprise. Normally Kazuya would jump at the chance to help someone. Especially since becoming a digidestined and being told he had to save the Digital World.

"Well, you guys coming?" Kazuya asked.

The others looked at him and shook their heads. Kazuya grunted in annoyance and walked off.

"Kazuya!" Gazimon said, as he reluctantly went after his partner.

"What's wrong with him?" Sakura said to herself.

"We should go after them. We will need him and the hentai rabbit." said Fairydramon.

Sakura nodded in agreement and the pair went after Kazuya and Gazimon. Chiisi nodded saying, "She'll get him back. She is the only woman that can convince Kazuya to do anything."

"Your village will be saved." He continued.

The Gomamon cheered happily. At last, their village shall be safe. "Everyone, we should treat our heroes to anything they want." A Gomamon said.

"Party!" Another Gomamon said.

The Gomamon immediately began to gather food and prepared to party down.

"Shouldn't we party after saving you, Gomamon?" Sho asked.

"This is only our pre-victory party." Said the female Gomamon. "Oh and by the way, please call me Goma-chan, Sho-sama." Goma-chan said, batting her eyes.

Sho blushed while Jun snickered. The rest of the group ran to join in the festivities. Goma-chan followed them but she was stopped by Labramon.

"Um, could you please move?" Goma-chan asked.

"Let's get some things straight." Labramon began. "Sho-chan is my partner. "I AM his digimon." she said, putting her paws on her chest.

"Your point?" Goma-chan asked.

"My point? Stay away from my Sho-chan!" Labramon exclaimed. "He is mine!"

Goma-chan looked displeased at that statement. She shoved her face into Labramon's. "Look, I think Sho-sama can be with any one he likes." Goma-chan said. "And furthermore, I think I would make a much better partner for him than you."

"Why you little…" Labramon began. However, Labramon could not think of a suitable insult for her.

Giving a little "humph" Goma-chan went to join her Gomamon brethren. Labramon looked at the seal digimon in jealously and anger. She would prove herself a capable partner to Sho even if it killed her or Goma-chan.

XXX

"Kazuya, tell me what's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing…everything's fine." Kazuya said with his back turned to her.

Sakura sighed in exasperation. "Kazuya, I've known you since we were five. I know there's something wrong." said Sakura "Why won't you help the Gomamon?"

Kazuya stared at the ground. He did not know how, but something about her got to him. He could never hide anything from her.

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt." said Kazuya. Kazuya turned towards her, his expression sorrowful. "I just don't want to lose anyone again. Gazimon…you." he said

Sakura walked to her friend and placed her hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him reassuringly. "Kazuya, ever since we started this journey, we knew we would be in danger." said Sakura. "But we can't just leave people in need."

Kazuya began to think. As much as he wanted those close to him to be safe, he just couldn't live with himself if he did not help the Gomamon.

"How do you do it?" Kazuya asked, with a smile.

Sakura gave a little laugh. "Oh you know me, but did I sound too preachy?" she asked.

"Yeah a little." said Kazuya.

While the two of them laughed in amusement, their digimon watched from the side. Fairydramon smiled at the two humans, glad that Sakura had convinced Kazuya to come back. She didn't notice Gazimon putting his paw on her shoulder.

"Cute isn't it?" he asked.

Fairydramon looked at him and then at his paw. Rolling her eyes, she elbowed Gazimon in his ribs. He winced in pain as he covered his chest.

XXX

Back at the Gomamon village, the festivities were still going underway. A few Gomamon sat by a fire grilling fish. The remaining digidestined and their digimon were munching on the fish. DemiDevimon noticed Labramon daintily eating just one fish.

"Hey I thought you would be wolfing down ten at once." said DemiDevimon.

"I'm trying to impress Sho-chan." said Labramon. "My tummy only needs one."

"You don't know what you're missing." said DemiDevimon. He stuffed his mouth with several fish making exaggerated sounds of pleasure. He smiled as he saw Labramon was visually in pain with hunger.

"Oh by the way, that flirty Gomamon is hitting on your partner." DemiDevimon said, as he finished eating.

"What?!" Labramon exclaimed. She turned to see Goma-chan holding a stick of fish in front of Sho.

"Come on Sho-chan have some more fish." said Goma-chan.

Labramon growled in anger. She grabbed another fish and ran over to Sho shoving the fish in his face.

"Here Sho-chan. Hagh shome fishgh." Labramon said, as she talked with a mouthful of food.

"Oh you don't want that, Sho-chan. It's full of dog slobber." said Goma-chan.

"Wash wrong wish that?" Labramon said, putting her face in Goma-chan's.

"Sho-chan doesn't have to be poisoned by your nasty slobber." said Goma-chan.

Labramon swallowed her fish and bared her teeth at Goma-chan. "I said to back off Sho-chan, you floppy footed seal!"

Sho backed away fearing what was about to happen. "Um girls..." he said.

"Stay out of this!" The two girls yelled towards Sho. Sho backed away in fear. The pair stared each other down never looking away. Then Penguinmon's voice snapped them out of their gazes.

"Hey, they're back!" said Penguinmon.

Kazuya, Gazimon, Sakura and Fairydramon were making their way towards the village. Gazimon was still holding his ribs in pain while Fairydramon walked with her back facing him.

"Told you she would convince him." Chiisi said to Jun.

Jun didn't give the boy a response and looked at the pair walking towards them. "Well I'll be damned." She said to herself.

"We're back." said Sakura.

"And of course, she states the obvious." said Jun to herself.

"So, what did you do to charm Miyamoto?" Jun asked. Sakura and Kazuya simply blushed.

"Anyway, I've decided we should help the Gomamon" said Kazuya.

The Gomamon broke into cheers. Well, minus Goma-chan who was still having her little hate stare with Labramon. Sho was still watching them, sighing at his predicament.

XXX

SkullMeramon walked along the dirt path. He had seen no trace of those kids or their digimon and he was growing very impatient. He gazed at the scenery around him. It was quiet and peaceful. He hated it. Growling he continued. Up ahead he noticed a small shack that appeared to be a restaurant. He decided to check it out. After all, he had to keep his strength up if he wanted to burn those children to a crisp.

"Welcome!" a voice said, as SkullMeramon entered. Behind a counter stood a Deramon.

"What will you have?" The Deramon asked.

"Just ramen." said SkullMeramon.

"Well you're in luck, my friend. I happen to make the best ramen in all of Folder." Deramon said, proudly.

"Just get me the ramen and don't call me your friend." SkullMeramon said, flatly.

The Deramon "humphed" in annoyance and quickly went to work. In a short moment, he was finished and a piping hot bowl of ramen stood in front of SkullMeramon. SkullMeramon started slurping his ramen. Just as soon as he started eating, he immediately spit it out.

"What kind of crap is this?!" SkullMeramon yelled.

"It's ramen." Deramon said, offended.

"But what the hell did you make this with?!" SkullMeramon demanded.

"Normal ramen, broth, boiled in dirty socks." Deramon began.

"WHAT KIND OF MORON BOILS RAMEN WITH DIRTY SOCKS?!" SkullMeramon demanded.

"Well, it gets my laundry done." said Deramon.

SkullMeramon cracked his knuckles in annoyance. Deramon gulped in fear. Moments later, the back of the restaurant exploded in flame. Inside, SkullMeramon laughed. Perhaps this day would not be so bad.

XXX

Kazuya stared at the ocean. His resolve had been restored thanks to Sakura. As usual, she could talk him into anything.

"You're sure you're okay buddy?" Gazimon asked.

"Don't worry. I'm ready to save some digimon." Kazuya said, confidently.

He adjusted his goggles and looked at the assembled group. "So how are we going to get there, by boat?" Kazuya asked.

"Leave that to me." said Goma-chan.

She walked up towards the beach and held out her flippers. "Marching Fishes!" she cried. In an instant a large school of fish rose to the surface forming together. After they were done, Goma-chan turned to the group and gave a little bow.

"In order for the fish to stay afloat, I will have to accompany you." said Goma-chan.

"We don't need your help. We are very capable of doing it ourselves." said Labramon. "Eh, Sho-chan?"

"Actually, we need a guide to the cove." Sho said, simply.

With that, everyone stepped on the fish. Although finding it a bit odd, everyone found a place to sit. Goma-chan seated herself next to Sho fluttering her eyes at him as she did. Moments later, Labramon barged in wedging herself between the two. Within seconds the two were glaring at each other. Sho sighed at his partner afraid that another fight would soon start. Goma-chan reluctantly turned away and commanded the fish to move.

"Is feels weird how it moves around." Sakura said, uncomfortably.

"Just so long as they don't go up or anything, there won't be any problems." said Jun.

The fish traveled across the sea with ease. Up ahead was a cove on a small island. As they drew closer, the water began to turn black. The fish seemed to be effected as they slowed down their swimming.

"The bad smell." Was all Labramon could say.

"A virus of course." said Sho.

"Let's see you do that." Labramon said snidely to Goma-chan.

Goma-chan stuck her tongue out at Labramon and addressed the group. "So you know what's going on?" she asked.

"Yeah it's the same story, a digimon gets infected by a virus, causes some trouble, and then we have to kill It." said Jun.

"It's rather repetitive when you think about it." Chiisi quipped.

Everyone nodded in agreement as the fish managed to make their way towards the shore. As soon as they landed, the fish departed in a hurry. Chiisi looked around, noticing the silence.

"It's too quiet." he said.

"Yeah it's boring." DemiDevimon added.

"I agree. Getting here seemed far too easy." said Fairydramon.

Labramon growled towards Goma-chan, baring her teeth right up in her face. "You lead us into a trap, didn't you?" Labramon asked.

"What are you talking about?" Goma-chan asked offended.

Labramon pushed her face closer to Goma-chan knocking her down on the ground. "Oh I can see through your little scheme. You want to break up me and Sho-chan!" Labramon accused.

"What!?" Goma-chan shouted in shock.

"This is all some big trap, you're in cahoots with the bad guys and once we're dead, you'll take Sho and make him your love slave!" Labramon said.

A loud smack filled the area as Goma-chan smacked Labramon against her cheek with her flipper. Labramon retaliated by slapping Goma-chan with her paw. The two glared at each other. Before anyone could stop it, they lunged. The two of them tumbled around on the ground biting and hitting each other.

"Alright I'll take any bets!" DemiDevimon said.

Sho looked on in shock and embarrassment. For the first time in his life, two girls were fighting over him, but they were not even human. He sighed at his rotten luck.

"I kind of feel sorry for Sanbara." said Jun.

"Yeah, but shouldn't we stop the fight?" asked Sakura.

"It's best that we don't. We wouldn't want to get in the middle of that." Fairydramon said.

Labramon and Goma-chan continued their little spat. They rolled around on the shore getting wet and dirty in the process. They would alternate between slapping each other with their flippers and paws respectively, and when they were not slapping, they were biting each other. Labramon's fur was now unkempt and wild. She was covered with the muddy shore. Goma-chan was in the same condition as Labramon. It rather looked like the Digital World equivalent of Mud Wrestling. Everyone was wise to not get involved in that fight.

"You know, getting here did seem too easy." said Kazuya.

"You think she lead us into a trap?" Gazimon asked.

"No, I don't think so, but I have a feeling this IS a trap." said Kazuya.

"Pearl shot!" Several pearls struck near the kids. Labramon and Goma-chan stopped their fighting when they noticed several Syakomon emerge from the water and from behind the rocks in the cove.

"And there's the trap." said DemiDevimon.

"A little late, but effective." said Chiisi.

"I don't think this is the time to analyze the situation!" shouted Jun.

The Syakomon headed toward the group, but the chosen digimon struck.

"Electric Stun Blast!" Gazimon's attack struck one of the Syakomon causing it to fall to the ground.

Penguinmon tried his best to attack but he simply slapped his wings and slapped wildly at whatever came at him. Fairydramon and DemiDevimon attacked in unison at the oncoming Syakomon. Then a loud splash erupted from the water ending the short battle. A figure began to rise as the water cleared. It looked like a large white squid. Instead of eyes however, it had black face markings. Its mouth stood open filled with razor sharp teeth.

"Gesomon-sama!" The Syakomon said in unison.

Gesomon slapped his tentacles on the ground causing the Syakomon to flee back into the water.

"Guess he's the boss!" said Kazuya.

"You must be the humans SkullMeramon-sama told me to find." Gesomon said.

Gesomon immediately swiped at the group with his tentacles. The group barely dodged as they fell to the ground.

"Oh this is my lucky day. I'll get a promotion with this." Gesomon said. "Those Syakomon were useless in their search, but by killing you we won't have to search for them." He continued.

"What is he talking about?" asked Gazimon.

"Don't talk, fight!" said Fairydramon.

At that moment, Kazuya and Sakura's digivices glowed.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**"

"**Fairydramon evolve! Tiamon!**"

The champions stood ready to battle. As they rushed towards Gesomon, Kazuya held out his arm toward Genkimon. "Don't worry he'll be fine." Sakura said reassuringly. She put her hand on his shoulder and he nodded in agreement. They looked confidently at their digimon.

"Shouldn't these guys evolve too?" Jun asked, noting the unevolved digimon.

"I think this is something for those two to handle themselves." said Chiisi.

Penguinmon breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't have to fight while DemiDevimon kicked the sand in disappointment.

Genkimon leaped up toward Gesomon and punched him hard in the face. He retaliated by whipping his tentacles in a rapid motion. Genkimon was knocked away by the force and surprise of the attack.

"Tiamat Fire!" The flames engulfed Gesomon. His blackened tentacles shrunk back. Labramon sniffed the aroma that was coming off Gesomon and began to drool. She licked her lips with a loud slurp.

"Oh that smells so yummy!" She said, hungrily.

"Humph! Thinking about your stomach at a time like this." Gomamon scolded.

Labramon glared angrily at Goma-chan. She was getting rather tired of her. She had the nerve to view herself as Sho's protector.

"Watch as I defend my love!" Goma-chan said, confidently.

"Marching Fishes!" Several fishes emerged from the water and began to ram themselves against Gesomon. They seemed to have little to no effect on the squid digimon. He simply put his blackened tentacles in the water and moments later they seemed to go back to their original shape and color. Labramon couldn't help but laugh as she watched Goma-chan fume in anger and embarrassment that her attack failed.

"Guess he wants another round." said Genkimon.

Before he and Tiamon could attack, He sprayed forth a cloud of ink onto the two digimon. He then reached for something as the two digimons vision was impaired. The cloud soon dissipated revealing what Gesomon had grabbed. It was Sho.

"Sho-chan!" Labramon shouted.

Gesomon laughed as he twisted Sho around in his tentacle. "Unless you want this human to die then I suggest you back off!" said Gesomon.

"You coward!" Kazuya said, disgusted.

"Don't you have any honor?!" Sakura asked, equally disgusted.

"There's no point in honor!" Gesomon spat. He continued to twist his tentacle around. Sho was gripped with fear. At this moment he thought the universe hated him.

On the sidelines, the remaining digidestined were shocked at this turn of events.

"That bastard!" said Jun. "You still think we should just stand here and do nothing?" she asked Chiisi.

"Hmm just wait and see." Chiisi simply said.

Goma-chan stood there not knowing what to do. Sho was in trouble and her last attack did nothing. She then heard some growling behind her. She turned to find Labramon was the source. Labramon stared at the helpless Sho. How dare Gesomon do this to Sho…her partner…her friend…the human she loved. Then Shos' digivice glowed

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**" In a flash Shiisamon was chomping on Gesomon's tentacle. He roared in pain, dropping Sho. Shiisamon immediately let go and dropped toward Sho grabbing him with her teeth and they landed with a splash. Shiisamon padded to shore dropping Sho when they got there.

"Now Genkimon…Tiamon…attack him at once!" Kazuya shouted.

"Yeah, take him down!" Sakura said. She was happy to see Kazuya restored to his former vigor.

Genkimon and Tiamon took note of their partner's words. Tiamon looked at Genkimon and shouted. "Genkimon charge up!" Genkimon nodded in agreement.

"Genki Rush!" Genkimon's aura spread around his body.

"Tiamat Fire!" Tiamon breathed a stream of flame right onto Genkimon. But instead of burning, the flames seemed to be absorbed by the aura which now glowed orange like the flames. Genkimon leapt and punched Gesomon with all of his might. Gesomon was engulfed in fire. He screamed as his body deleted. All that was left behind was the virus which deleted into nothingness. With Gesomon's death, the water turned a healthy color of blue.

"They did it!" Kazuya and Sakura said in unison.

Behind them, Chiisi smiled. "Well, that worked out." he said

"Wait a minute. Did you know this was going to happen?" Jun asked.

"No. I just guessed based on the emotional situations." said Chiisi.

Jun raised an eyebrow. Chiisi never ceased to creep her out.

"Oh Sho-chan. I'm sorry that I moved. I just couldn't let him hurt you." said Shiisamon.

Sho looked at Shiisamon. He smiled and began to pet her. "Thank you Shiisamon." He said. Sho felt a new respect for his friend. She had risked her life to save him. Maybe she did care more about him than her stomach.

Then all of a sudden, a blue pillar of light erupted between Sho and Shiisamon. The light then disappeared, revealing a blue sphere which floated to Sho. Sho held it and gazed at it.

"This must be a digi-core." She said in confusion. A symbol then glowed from within the digi-core. It looked almost like a yin-yang symbol.

"This symbol is friendship." said Sho.

"How did you know that Sho-chan?" Shiisamon asked.

"I-I don't, it just popped in there." Sho said. Before Sho could question the matter, the digicore leapt straight into Sho's chest and slowly made its way into the teenager's body, disappearing in a blue flash.

Everyone's mouths fell down in disbelief at what had just happened.

"Sanbara's the first to get his digicore and it goes in his body?" Jun said in disbelief.

XXX

The group returned to the Gomamon village as heroes. The Gomamon were happy now that the cove had been retaken and they could swim in peace. True to their word, they held another party. This one was larger than the previous one. Only this time, they had a legitimate reason to celebrate.

Everyone was in a good mood, especially Labramon. She felt that her partnership with Sho was rekindled and celebrated the best way she knew how…by gorging herself on anything edible. Labramon happily stuffed whatever she could into her mouth.

"Um Labramon?" A voice asked.

Labramon turned to see Goma-chan standing next to her. She swallowed her food letting out a healthy burp after she did. Goma-chan wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"What is it?" Labramon asked, licking her muzzle.

"I have to say I was rather impressed back there." said Goma-chan.

"Really?" Labramon asked in surprise.

"Yes, but don't think I have given up on Sho-sama!" Goma-chan said.

Labramon shot an annoyed glance at Goma-chan. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Sho-chan and I are on a journey with the others and I will be spending more time with him!"

"That does not make him yours!" Goma-chan said.

In mere moments the two were arguing again. Sho, who was in earshot of the argument, sighed in embarrassment. As if on cue, Jun was snickering to Sho how his "girlfriends" were fighting over him. Sho ignored her for now. The thing on his mind and everyone else's, was the digi-core. The way it had entered Sho's body had shocked them. What effect would it have on him? For now no one knew, but perhaps in time, it would all be made clear.

To be continued….


	15. Chapter 15

The sun was setting on the Gomamon village. The sky was lit a bright orange as the festivities were ending. The party that took place was large and wild and many of the residents had gone to bed, the digidestined included. Inside the Gomamon huts, the digidestined lay there with their partners beside them. They blissfully slept, content with themselves and optimistic about the future. However, one digimon was dreaming of something different. As her head lay against Sho's chest, Labramon began to toss and turn.

XXX

"_Maia!" Paomon shouted as she bounced across the floor. Paomon was a small digimon, who looked like a tannish blob with black eyes and pink floppy ears. A figure clad in a white robe walked up to Paomon and scooped her up._

"_What is it Paomon?" The figure asked. She gently pet Paomon causing the small digimon to giggle._

"_I'm hungry!" Paomon piped._

"_But you just had lunch a moment ago." said Maia._

_Paomon frowned at that response "All the others say I eat too much." Paomon said, sadly. "Poromon says that I'll turn into a fat balloon and he'll pop me when I do."_

_Maia sighed. "I'll have to have a talk with him." said Maia._

_A smile appeared beneath Maia's hood as she continued to pet Paomon. "But I think a little snack for you wouldn't hurt."_

"_Yay!" Paomon shouted, cheerfully._

XXX

Labramon awoke abruptly, her head darting back and forth, as she did. She looked at the slumbering Sho feeling a bit reassured that he was there. Feeling restless, she decided to walk outside. She walked along the sandy beach stopping just at the shore. The tide came in and out just getting the tips of her paws wet.

"What was that dream?" she asked herself. The dream had upset Labramon. Not because it was not her usual dreams of food, or Sho, or a combination of the two. It felt real like a memory more than a dream.

"Can't sleep?" Labramon turned her head to see Fairydramon walking towards her.

"Yeah." Labramon replied "You?"

"Gazimon kept groping my tail in his sleep." Fairydramon said, shuddering.

"Aw, he just likes you." Labramon replied.

"There's a thin line between love and perversion." Said Fairydramon. "Why are you up?"

"A dream I had." Said Labramon. Her face turned sullen. "Um Fairydramon?"

"Hmm?" Fairydramon inquired.

"Do you remember your past like when you were a baby digimon?" Labramon asked.

Fairydramon though for a moment. "No, I don't. The only thing I remember is being in that digitama." She replied.

Labramon became worried and scared at the same time. "That makes me worried." She said.

"I mean, I don't remember either, but I want to know was I born in Primary Village? Did I have parents?" Labramon asked. Her voice was beginning to turn frantic.

"I can see why you are worried but I try not to dwell on the past." Fairydramon replied.

"But why don't you want to know your past?!" asked Labramon.

"I do, but right now we have to focus on the present." Said Fairydramon. "Perhaps our past will be revealed in time but we can't dwell on one we don't remember."

"But I want to remember!" Labramon whined.

Fairydramon sighed. "Whining won't help. All I can say is be patient and focus on protecting those precious to us." Said Fairydramon.

"Think about it and good night." Said Fairydramon, warmth escaping into her voice.

Fairydramon turned and headed back towards the hut. Labramon dwelled for a minute on what Fairydramon had said. She then headed back towards her own hut. As she stepped inside, she took another look at Sho. Walking over to him, she licked his cheek and set her head upon his chest. Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. Fairydramon's words floated in her head as she slept. She would protect the one precious to her even at the cost of her own life.

XXX

Morning soon came and everyone awoke. Sho himself woke up to the feeling of Labramon's wet tongue.

"Good morning sleepy head!" Labramon greeted, cheerfully.

Sho wiped his face clean of the slobber. "Good morning" he greeted. As he got up, Labramon's tongue greeted him again.

"Well you're happy." Said Sho, as he again wiped the slobber from his face.

Labramon giggled. "Well of course I'm happy. You're awake."

"Is everyone else awake?" Sho asked.

Labramon tilted her head to the side as she thought. "I dunno. I just woke up to be honest with you."

Labramon then knelt closer to Sho with a playful smile across her face. "But let's enjoy our moment alone together." She said.

"Hey you two love birds up or what?" a voice asked.

Sho and Labramon turned to see Jun sticking her head in the door. "Goggleboy wants us to head out so get your asses in gear."

After Jun left, Labramon stuck her tongue out. "Oh she ruins everything!" Labramon said, disappointed.

"Well if we're leaving, then we should join them." Said Sho.

Labramon gave a disappointed sigh as she began to follow her partner. Before he left the door, Sho stopped. "Labramon." Sho began.

"Yes, Sho-chan?" Labramon asked.

Sho's face turned towards Labramon. "Thank you for yesterday." Said Sho, a smile crossing his face.

Labramon smiled as well. "That's why I'm here Sho-chan!" She happily followed Sho outside to greet the others. The group assembled near the site of last night's party.

"Well, the lovers finally join us." Said Jun.

Sho ignored that comment while Labramon growled in response.

"Well, now that we're all here we should get going." Said Kazuya.

One of the Gomamon stepped up and pointed toward the forest path leading out of the village. "If you take that path, it will lead you to Plug Valley."

"Oh yeah. Today is the merchant bazaar, huh?" Another Gomamon asked.

"A bazaar?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah Plug Valley is the prime place for travelers so Merchants take advantage of that by setting up their stalls up there." Said a Gomamon.

"Well, it's a shame we don't have any money." Kazuya said, disappointed.

"Yeah." Gazimon added.

The group said goodbye to the Gomamon tribe and headed on their way. As they walked along the forest, the digimon had begun to wonder what kind of digmon Labramon would evolve into now that Sho had his digicore.

"Well, it's obvious she will turn into another dog digimon." Fairydramon replied.

"Well I don't know. I can't fly but when I evolve I can." Penguinmon replied.

"You guys think I'll be able to fly?!" Labramon asked excitedly.

"It was just an idea. Don't take it too seriously." Fairydramon replied, sweatdropping.

Gazimon could not help but feel a bit jealous. He was the first one to evolve into his champion form and a part of him believed he would be the first to evolve into an ultimate level digimon.

"Just wait until I evolve!" Gazimon boasted. "My next evolution will blow any of yours away!"

"You haven't even evolved yet." Said Fairydramon.

"Hey I'm awesome. So, of course my evolution will be impressive." Said Gazimon. "You should be glad I'll be protecting you my sweet Fairydramon."

Fairydramon rolled her eyes in annoyance at Gazimon's bragging. She had to restrain herself from hurting Gazimon because of that last comment. The humans had stayed out of the digimon's conversation, but the talk of possible evolution piqued their interest.

"Say Kazuya, what do you think Gazimon will evolve into?" Sakura asked.

Kazuya thought for a moment. "Um, another rabbit I guess."

Sakura nodded her head in agreement. "I guess you're right"

"Don't think of evolution as having one straight path." Said Fairydramon. "It's possible for digimon to evolve into many different forms and not all of them are the same type."

"She's right. Remember Tapirmon?" DemiDevimon asked.

"That's right. He evolved into Apemon." Chiisi said, remembering that odd evolution.

"Going from a tapir to an ape doesn't make much sense in my book, but whatever." Said Jun.

Both the humans and their digimon continued their conversation about evolution for quite awhile. By the time they were done, they had exited the forest. Before them lay a valley. Patches of grass lay scattered around amidst the bare dirt covered ground. Oddly enough, what appeared to be plugs were strewn about the ground in random places. Some of them had large wires connecting to other plugs, while some were just unplugged.

"Well this is new." Said Chiisi.

"This actually seems creative." Said Jun.

They continued to walk along until they saw something up ahead. In the distance, what appeared to be several tents were against the horizon.

"That must be the bazaar." Said Sho.

"You're right." Said Labramon. Labramon sniffed the air for a moment."I smell digimon!"

XXX

Goma-chan relaxed on the beach as her brethren cleaned up the mess they had made from last nights party.

"You know you could help us." An annoyed Gomamon asked, noticing that Goma-chan was not doing any work.

"I'm delegating and you're doing a fine job." Goma-chan said, waving her flipper in the air. The next thing she knew, she was hit with a barrage of Marching Fishes.

"Quit delegating and get to work." The Gomamon shouted. Goma-chan emerged from the fishes with an annoyed look on her face. She was about to do the same to her Gomamon brother when someone shouted.

"Hey look! Someone is coming into the village!"

Indeed, the Gomamon village had a new guest. One Gomamon decided to greet this newcomer. "Hello. Welcome to our village." She said, cheerfully.

SkullMeramon looked at the Gomamon and grinned. "Hi." Said SkullMeramon, cracking his knuckles. The next cry everyone heard was a scream. They turned to see their fellow Gomamon burst into data particles and flame.

SkullMeramon laughed as he shot more flames at the unsuspecting Gomamon. The flames were shot in random directions. Although this seemed like a crazy strategy (and it was), SkullMeramon wanted to make sure everyone suffered. The Gomamon tried to escape into the sea but they were either engulfed by the flames, or if they managed to avoid them, SkullMeramon whipped them to death with his chains. In mere moments the Gomamon village was reduced to nothing but an ashy memory.

"I think I overdid it." SkullMeramon mused. He looked around the village admiring his work. "Nah." He said.

Out the corner of his eye, he spotted movement behind a rock. He stepped behind the rock to find a cowering Gomamon.

"Well well." Said SkullMeramon.

The Gomamon looked up and shrieked as he scrambled to get away. SkullMeramon picked him up by his neck and brought him close to his face.

"Please don't kill me." The Gomamon whispered.

"Well, maybe I won't if you answer a question for me." Said SkullMeramon.

The Gomamon nodded his head in agreement. "They went that way towards Plug Valley." The Gomamon said, pointing outside the village.

"Why thank you." Said SkullMeramon. He then smiled sadistically as his hand flared up engulfing the Gomamon in flames. SkullMeramon's laughter drowned out the Gomamon's screams.

Meanwhile away from the shore, Goma-chan watched in shock at what was happening. With tears in her eyes, she dove into the water and headed out deep into the sea.

XXX

The digdestined had reached the area of tents. Several digimon were operating the stalls. It looked like they were selling an assortment of things. Several digimon were looking at the wares and buying whatever interested them.

"Why would anyone sell something in the middle of nowhere?" Sakura asked.

"Well like the Gomamon said, travelers pass through here all the time." Chiisi replied.

"Well I don't see the point in staying here since we've got no money." Said Jun.

The group began to walk away…except for Kazuya and Gazimon. "Oh come on guys. Can't we just look?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah look at all the cool stuff!" Gazimon exclaimed.

Sakura and Chiisi both sighed. They knew that Kazuya loved to browse even when he knew he couldn't buy anything.

"Alright fine. Just don't be too long." Said Sakura. With that, Kazuya and Gazimon ran off.

"Has he always been like this?" Sho asked.

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes. When it comes to browsing and shopping Kazuya is very enthusiastic." Said Sakura.

"And it appears that his partner, Gazimon shares the same interest." Fairydramon replied.

Both the girl and her digimon sighed in unison.

Kazuya and Gazimon continued to look at the various stalls. Needless to say they annoyed most of the digimon they ran into as they inquired what each thing was.

"Can I interest youse two in something?" A Brooklyn accented voice said.

Kazuya and Gazimon turned to see a small black demon digimon standing behind them. He wore a pair of matching red gloves and a red bandanna around his neck. A face with a toothy smile was imprinted on his belly. Kazuya and Gazimon immediately darted over to the stall with glee.

"What do you have?" Kazuya asked.

The digimon smirked. "Well Impmon's da name and rare things are my specialty."

"How rare?" Gazimon asked.

"Very rare, bub." Impmon replied.

"Well the thing is…we don't have any money." Kazuya replied sheepishly.

"Not a problem. I'll trade with whateva ya got." Said Impmon.

"Well okay. What do you have?" Asked Kazuya.

Impmon gave another smirk and immediately began rummaging in a bag. "I found dis on one of my travels." Said Impmon.

Kazuya's and Gazimon's eyes lit up as they saw what Impmon had pulled out. In front of them was a large orange ball.

"It's a digi-core!" Gazimon shouted, taking it instinctively. Although, it was a bit heavy for him.

Kazuya couldn't believe it. His digi-core had been found and now Gazimon could evolve.

"Now dere's da matter on trading." Said Impmon.

"Oh yeah. You wanted to trade something." Said Kazuya.

"Yeha and those goggles would look pretty good on me." Impmon said, pointing at Kazuya's goggles.

"My goggles? No way." Kazuya shouted clutching his goggles.

"Hmpph! Have it your way den. I guess youse don't want that digi-core." Said Impmon.

"Come on Kazuya, just give up the goggles!" Gazimon pleaded. "We need it to help me evolve!"

Kazuya was hesitant but Gazimon was right. The dig-core was more important than his goggles.

"But how do we know it's not a fake?" Kazuya asked.

"Ya sure ya wanna take that sort of chance?" Impmon asked.

"Well alright." Kazuya said hesitantly. He slipped off his goggles and Impmon immediately snatched them up. "Pleasure doing business with ya." Said Impmon.

"Come on Kazuya. Let's go back and show the others!" Gazimon said excitedly. He started to run in a hurry, although holding the digi-core made it a bit hard. Kazuya followed after his excited partner.

"I still feel like this was a bad choice." Said Kazuya. He still regretted trading his goggles.

"Just wait till I evolve Kazuya!" Replied Gazimon. "I can see it now."

Gazimon dreamed of how his ultimate would look. He imagined himself evolving into a large bishounen man with long blond hair and light silver armor that covered his entire body. He imagined Fairydramon running up to him caressing and declaring her love for him. Soon in his head more female digimon flocked to him doing the same. As the females crowded around him, Gazimon smiled euphorically.

"Uh Gazimon?" Asked Kazuya.

"Huh what?" Gazimon said, snapping out of his day dream.

"You okay?" Kazuya asked.

Gazimon wiped the drool from his lips. "Yea just picturing heaven."

Kazuya raised an eyebrow and then said, "Well let's go. We should show the others."

The pair rushed off to meet up with the others. As they left, Impmon snickered as he packed up.

"What a bunch a suckers!" He said, as he put on his new goggles.

XXX

"What's taking goggleboy and the rabbit?" Jun asked.

"Like we said, Kazuya likes to browse." Said Chiisi.

"Hey Guys!" Everyone turned to see Kazuya and Gazimon running towards them.

"Well, finally you show up!" Said Jun. "I was just about to suggest leaving you two behind."

A vein twitched on Kazuya's head. "I'm ignoring that." He said.

"Say Kazuya, what happened to your goggles?" Sakura asked

Kazuya instinctively covered his bare forehead. "I traded it." He said.

"Traded it?" Sakura asked. She knew Kazuya held his goggles as one of his most precious possessions. What could make him trade them?

"He traded it for this." Gazimon said. Everyone then noticed what was in Gazimon's arms.

"What's that?" Asked Sho.

"It's real pretty." Labramon added.

Gazimon smirked. "That isn't all. Introducing…Kazuya's digicore!" He said, posing dramatically. Kazuya just smiled half-heartedly, laughing weakly.

"You found it already?" Sakura asked.

"Well it seems that way." Said Kazuya.

"Oh come on. All that matters now, is that we have your digicore." Said Gazimon. Gazimon quickly crept up to Fairydramon. "So, bet you can't wait to see what I evolve into, huh?" Gazimon asked.

"Don't make me hurt you." Said Fairydramon. Gazimon quickly scooted over back to Kazuya.

"Wait. If that's a digicore, then how come it didn't go into Kazuya's body?" Asked Penguinmon. Everyone turned their attention to Penguinmon. He was a little nervous at having all these eyes on him. "Well, Sho's digicore went inside his body."

"He's right." Sho said, shuddering as he remembered that sensation.

"Uh, well, maybe it needs some sort of password or something!" Gazimon said, frantically. He shoved the digicore in front of Kazuya. "Come on Kazuya. Do something!"

Kazuya was unsure of what to do, but decided to say whatever came to mind. He held up the digicore and cleared his voice. "Digicore activate!" He shouted. Nothing happened.

"Digicore Up!" Kazuya shouted again. Still nothing happened.

"Digicore Energize!"

"Digicore Charge!"

"Digicore Evolution!"

"Execute Digicore Evolution!"

"Nothing's working!" Kazuya shouted, in annoyance.

"May I see it?" Fairydramon asked.

Kazuya nodded and set the digicore on the ground. Fairydramon walked up to the digicore and held up her claw. She then quickly swiped at the digicore. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the sound of a crack could be heard as a crack started to appear and in an instant, the digicore was now in half.

Kazuya and Gazimon's mouths dropped. "What did you do that for!?" Gazimon asked.

"This was a fake. It's glass." Said Fairydramon.

"A fake!" Kazuya and Gazimon shouted in unison. Both of them felt very stupid. Kazuya could not believe he had traded his goggles, while Gazimon could feel his perverted fantasy drifting away.

"This is all your fault!" The two shouted instinctively at each other.

"Me!? How was this my fault!?" Gazimon asked.

"You were the one who talked me into trading my goggles for it!" Kazuya shouted.

"Well you could have talked me out of it!" Gazimon shouted back.

"SHUT UP!" Fairydramon shouted. Kazuya and Gazimon snapped to attention.

"We can still get your goggles back, but fighting won't get them back." Said Fairydramon.

Kazuya and Gazimon both nodded. "Right. We have to take action!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"Yeah. Let's get the jerk that ripped us off!" Gazimon added.

The pair soon sped off before anyone could say a word.

"Wow they're fast." Said Penguinmon.

XXX

Kazuya and Gazimon stormed through the bazaar. They headed back towards the spot where Impmon had been, only to find it unsurprisingly empty.

"Damn! He got away!" Kazuya shouted angrily.

"Say, are you two looking for that Impmon.?" Gazimon and Kazuya turned to see a Biyomon standing there. In an instant Kazuya rushed toward the Biyomon, frightening her as he shook her.

"Where did he go?!" Kazuya asked frantically.

"He went that way!" Biyomon said, pointing her wing.

"Thank you!" Kazuya said, as he quickly ran off

"Hey wait!" Gazimon shouted, as he ran after Kazuya. As he ran, he shot a quick glance at the Biyomon winking.

Biyomon sighed with relief. She was glad that crazy human was gone, so now she could shop in peace once again. However, she was soon bowled over by the rest of the digidestined. She fell to the ground, her feathers getting ruffled in the process.

"Hey bird, could you watch where you're going?" Said Jun.

"Jun, that's rude." Said Penguinmon. He waddled up to Biyomon and helped his fellow bird digimon up.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Biyomon nodded in response.

"Excuse me. We're sorry we ran into you, but did you see a human and a Gazimon run this way?" Asked Sakura.

"Yes I did. That boy was certainly rude shaking me like that." Said Biyomon. "And I could have sworn that Gazimon shot me a look as he ran off."

"It's them all right." Said Fairydramon. "Which way did they go?"

"That way." Biyomon said, pointing.

Biyomon's face then changed to shock as the whole group ran past, or rather over her, in a hurry.

"You think we should go back and apologize?" Asked Sakura, after realizing what they had just done.

"Don't be such a goody two shoes." Jun spat.

XXX

Impmon smirked as he looked at his new prize.

"Man, the Digital World is just full of suckers." He said. He fingered the goggles looking at his reflection in the glass.

"I look pretty good in this." Said Impmon.

"Hey you!" Impmon turned to see two figures running toward him in the distance. He waited a moment as he adjusted his eyes. The figures soon came into focus as they came closer. Impmon gaped at what he saw. Kazuya and Gazimon were running right toward him.

"GIVE ME BACK MY GOGGLES!" Kazuya shouted. Impmon simply turned and ran off.

"He's too far!" Kazuya shouted.

"And fast!" Said Gazimon.

"How are we supposed to catch him?" asked Kazuya.

"Well, maybe I won't be able to catch him, but my other side can." Gazimon said, looking at Kazuya's digivice. Kazuya grabbed it and held it up smirking.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**"

"Hop on Kazuya!" Genkimon commanded. He motioned Kazuya to climb on his back. Kazuya climbed on Genkimon's back holding on tightly.

"Genki Rush!" Genkimon shouted, speeding off.

"This is Awesome!" Kazuya shouted, excitedly.

XXX

"Ah, Plug Valley." Said SkullMeramon as he made his way across the valley. "I think I should build another base around here."

He looked around, noticing the bazaar. "I should get rid of that eyesore." SkullMeramon said. His fist flared up as he smiled.

"A little show should get the brat's attention." He said, evilly.

XXX

Impmon ran as fast as he could. His face lit up when he noticed a bridge. A large wooden bridge separated the other side of plug valley. Below it was a raging river that led to the ocean. Impmon figured he could hide out in the next town over. Besides, the next town had good Sake.

Before he could take a step on the wood, a loud bursting sound could be heard from behind him. He turned to see Genkimon speeding toward him.

"Oh crap!" Impmon shouted.

He continued to run but before he knew it, Genkimon grabbed him holding him high in the air.

"Got you!" Kazuya exclaimed triumphantly, as he slid off Genkimon's back.

"Let me go, ya jerks!" Impmon shouted, as he struggled and squirmed in Genkimon's grasp.

"Not till you give back Kazuya's goggles!" Said Genkimon.

"Forget it. I got them fair and square!" Said Impmon.

A vein pulsed on Kazuya's forehead. "Fair? You cheated me!" Exclaimed Kazuya.

"Not my fault you two bozo's were dumb enough to fall for that!" Impmon retorted.

The vein in Kazuya's forehead pulsed even more. "I'm not dumb! Besides he talked me into it!" Kazuya said pointing a finger at Genkimon.

"What do you mean my fault?!" Genkimon shouted.

The two partners glared angrily at each other. Impmon snickered quietly to himself, glad that their attention had shifted away from him.

"Kazuya, Genkimon!" A female voice shouted. Kazuya and Genkimon turned to see their friends running towards them. Kazuya and Genkimon noticed they were out of breath.

"You guys okay?" Asked Kazuya.

"Okay nothing!" Jun panted. "You know how fast you two run?"

"Well, Genkimon did most of the running." Said Kazuya.

"That's not an insult, right?" Genkimon asked. Kazuya simply shook his head.

"We'll be with you guys in a moment. We just have to take care of this goggle thief." Said Kazuya.

"_**BOOOM **_!" a loud explosion could be heard behind them. A large fireball shot up from the location of the bazaar. The screams of many digimon accompanied it.

"The bazaar!" Sakura gasped.

"Who's attacking it?" Asked Sho

"Well, fire and destruction sounds like SkullMeramon to me." Said Chiisi.

"He knows we will play the hero and come to the rescue." Said DemiDevimon. "Not that we necessarily have to play it."

"Like ya can beat the boss!" Impmon snickered.

The group glared at him. "I knew there was something funny about you!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"But why would SkullMeramon want Kazuya's goggles?" Asked Genkimon.

Impmon sweatdropped at Genkimon's remark. "Ya really are stupid." He said.

"All da boss wanted was da digicores and I had ta slow ya down." Impmon continued.

"So that's where the fake digicore came in." Said Fairydramon.

Behind them, another explosion roared. "If we don't do something, those digimon are doomed." Said Sakura.

"Alright let's go!" Kazuya said, confidently. "Genkimon you ready to fight?"

"Yeah, just let me get your goggles." Said Genkimon.

"Bada Boom!" a small fire lit up in Impmon's finger. He then jabbed his finger in Genkimon's hand causing him to yelp in pain dropping Impmon. Impmon then dashed across the bridge. Genkimon was about to run after him before Kazuya stopped him.

"Genkimon let him go!" Kazuya commanded.

Genkimon stopped in his tracks. "But your goggles!" Genkimon shouted.

"I'll get them later; we have more important things to take care of" Said Kazuya.

Reluctnatly, Genkimon nodded and turned towards the battlefield. With that, the group headed out to battle.

XXX

SkullMeramon was having the time of his life. He couldn't believe his luck, two killing sprees in one day. He laughed as the flames spread, and even more at the screams of the fleeing digimon.

"Ahh this is enjoyable." He said to himself. "But I want to fight the brats!"

"Well here we are!" SkullMeramon turned and smiled. Before him stood the Digidestined along with Genkimon, Shiisamon, and Devimon. Penguinmon and Fairydramon had decided to sit this fight out. Not that they didn't want to help, they and their partners felt that their fire attacks would not be helpful in this situation.

"You finally showed up. Fighting you is always fun for me." SkullMeramon happily exclaimed.

"Guys, let's try and lead him away from the bazaar." Said Genkimon. Devimon and Shiisamon nodded in agreement.

With a yell, SkullMeramon leapt forward. The trio of Champion digimon did the same. The rest of the group wisely moved back a distance. Soon the three Champions and the Ultimate were clashing with each other. Exchanging attack to attack, blow to blow.

"Now that's more like it!" SkullMeramon exclaimed.

"This isn't working. He's having fun." Said Shiisamon.

"Okay plan B!" Genkimon shouted.

Genkimon turned around and stuck his rear in SkullMeramon's direction.

"Hey, you call yourself an Ultimate level?" Genkimon mocked, shaking his rear.

"Yeah, here's your targets." Shiisamon shouted, doing the same.

Devimon, who was embarrassed by his teammate's actions, simply flipped the bird to SkullMeramon.

"Just try and catch us." Said Devimon, flatly.

Their plan had worked as SkullMeramon was royally mad. His whole body was ablaze as he glared at his enemies. He rushed toward his targets, as they fled.

"I hope they'll be okay." Sakura said, worriedly.

"They know what they're doing." Kazuya said, confidently. His attention turned to the quickly spreading fire.

"Jun, Sakura, it's time Penguinmon and I evolved." Said Fairydramon.

"I don't think spreading more fire is going to help." Said Jun.

"We're not going to use fire attacks." Said Fairydramon. "Just make us evolve!"

Jun and Sakura held up their digivces. Penguinmon gulped as they started to glow.

XXX

Genkimon, Shiisamon, and Devimon had led SkullMeramon a good distance away from the bazaar. Unfortunately for them, he was still pursuing them and he wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. Annoyed with the chase, SkullMeramon set his body ablaze and leapt into the air. The spot where he was now standing turned black and bare of any grass. The trio turned as they heard SkullMeramon's yell.

"DIE!!!!!!" SkullMeramon screamed. Everyone looked up to see SkullMeramon bearing down on them. His fist was out in front of him ready to deliver a blow. His look of insanity changed to shock as he saw a plug outlet in front of him.

"Aw shi- "Boom!!!!!!"" a burst of electricity and fire exploded sending everyone back.

Genkimon slowly rose to his feet. "Is everyone okay?" He asked.

Shiisamon and Devimon rose to their feet and nodded. It seemed that they had managed to survive the blast.

"But what about SkullMeramon?" Shiisamon asked.

"There's your answer." Said Devimon, pointing behind them.

They turned to see SkullMeramon lying on the ground. His body was motionless save for a few twitches, as electricity surged throughout his body. Genkimon took a few cautionary steps toward the body. He tapped the body with his foot a few times.

"Guys I think—ACKKK!" Just then, chains shot from SkullMeramon's arms. The chains wrapped themselves around Genkimon's neck choking him. The now conscious SkullMeramon laughed.

XXX

"Okay they evolved, so now what?" Asked Jun.

Tiamon and Saberdramon stood near the flames. Everyone wondered what they were going to do.

"Are your ready Saberdramon?" Asked Tiamon.

"I guess." Saberdramon sighed.

Saberdramon spread his wings out and Tiamon opened her maw. To everyone's surprise, the fire started to disappear into Saberdramon's body and Tiamon's maw.

"They're absorbing the flame?!" Sho said, in surprise.

"Well I guess it makes sense, somewhat." Said Chiisi. "Saberdramon is a firebird and Tiamon is a fire breathing dragon.

Soon, the fire was completely gone, leaving only charred stalls and blackened patches of land.

"They did it!" Sakura exclaimed happily.

"Oh, I feel so hot!" Saberdramon whined.

"Don't complain you got the job done!" Jun spat.

Sakura noticed her partner had a pained expression on her scaly face.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked.

Tiamon opened her mouth to speak. "URRRRRPPPPP!" Tiamon belched up a thick cloud of smoke.

"Pardon me." Tiamon said, putting a claw to her lips.

"You okay?" Sakura asked again.

"Never better." Tiamon replied.

XXX

Genkimon gasped for breath as the chains choked him. SkullMeramon laughed all the more, as he pulled tightly.

"Don't worry Genkimon. We'll help you!" Shiisamon shouted.

"No…I…got…it!" Genkimon managed to spit out. "G…en…ki…Ru…sh!"

Genkimon charged up his body and sped forward, dragging SkullMeramon with him. The chains continued to choke him, but Genkimon kept going. Finally he saw his destination, the bridge. His body burst with more energy as he sped up. As he neared the edge, he put more energy in his "Genki Rush" leaping straight over the edge and onto the other side.

Genkimon felt relieved as he landed. However he was suddenly jerked back. SkullMeramon hung on to his chains, dangling on the edge.

"If I go I'm taking you with me!" SkullMeramon shouted.

Genkimon knew he couldn't keep this up. He could feel his consciousness starting to slip away.

"Touch of Evil!" Devimon shouted, as he flew toward Genkimon, slicing the chains. SkullMeramon screamed as he fell into the river with a splash. He didn't resurface.

Genkimon took the chains from around his neck and gasped for air.

"Thanks." Genkimon managed to spit out.

XXX

The three champion digimon had devolved back into their rookie forms as they met up with the rest of the group. Kazuya, Sho, and Chiisi were relieved to find their partners were okay. And even more relieved to find out SkullMeramon wouldn't be bothering them…for now.

"Well guys we should head out." Said Kazuya.

"You're right. I don't think SkullMeramon is down for the count just yet." Said Sakura.

"Uh actually, I was talking about my goggles." Said Kazuya.

Everyone except Gazimon sweatdropped.

"Oh come on. I know we have a quest and all, but it feels weird not having anything on my forehead!" Kazuya exclaimed.

XXX

Meanwhile back at the ruins of the bazaar, a very irate Biyomon tried her best to straighten out her singed feathers.

"Oh I knew I shouldn't have come here!" She said angrily. "I'm going back to File Island!"

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16

Dark clouds loomed over the castle of the Fallen Angels. Inside, Demon walked through the dark hallways. Demon had not heard anything from SkullMeramon. He had expected SkullMeramon to have taken care of the digidestined, but perhaps he had underestimated them. However, he found it hard to believe that SkullMeramon could have been killed. After all, he was one of Demon's most faithful minions. He quickly dismissed the thoughts about his minion and turned his attention to the present. He had business to attend to, but not with his fellow Fallen Angels.

Cherubimon was busy with a new experiment and Lillithmon was tending to the master digitama. He reached his private chamber. As the doors closed behind him with a loud thud, He held up his hand as if beckoning something. A whirling sound could be heard within the chamber as the space in front of Demon rippled and opened up. The only thing that greeted Demon was a thick fog. However within the fog, a large figure could be made out along with a pair of glowing red eyes.

"What do you want, Demon?" A deep guttural voice answered within the portal.

"Greetings, Lord Dagomon." Said Demon, giving a slight bow.

"Spare me your false respect and tell me why you have summoned me!" Dagomon said.

Demon growled. He decided it would be best to make his point.

"Dagomon, you are the master of the realm of darkness." Demon began. "I too would like the power of darkness."

"Is this all for your master's sake?" Asked Dagomon.

Demon's eyes narrowed. "The master no longer fits into my desires." Said Demon.

Dagomon gave a slight chuckle. "You truly do have a lust for power." Said Dagomon. "But Darkness is not something to be taken lightly." Dagomon warned.

"In this case, I don't care about risks." Said Demon. "I am beginning to think I am underestimating the digidestined."

"Yes. I didn't expect mere human children to be so troublesome." Said Dagomon. "Fine. You have my services."

Demon smiled to himself. Now all his plans could come to fruition.

"However, I do have one request." Dagomon began.

"What?" Demon asked.

"One of the digidestined has a strong connection to darkness." Said Dagomon. "This interests me." He continued.

"Very well." Demon agreed.

As this meeting was taking place, a third guest stayed hidden within the shadows. Hearing all he needed to hear, the figure vanished into the shadows. As he floated through the dark abyss, Duskmon thought over what he had seen and heard.

XXX

"Come on you guys, hurry up!" Kazuya shouted.

"Yeah, you guys are a bunch of slowpokes!" Gazimon shouted.

Ever since his goggles were stolen, Kazuya had tried to quicken the group's pace. Frankly everyone was getting quite annoyed.

"Kazuya, we're going as fast as we can!" Exclaimed Sakura.

"Well go faster. My goggles are gone and I need to get them back!" Kazuya retorted.

Jun balled up her fist as she strode forward. "If he mentions those stupid goggles again I'm going to kick his ass." She said, angrily.

"Jun let's not have violence." Penguinmon pleaded. "Sakura, you're his friend. Why don't you talk to him?" Penguinmon asked.

"Well alright." Said Sakura. Sakura strode up to Kazuya, trying to keep up with her friend's pace.

"Um Kazuya, look I know you want your goggles, but I think we should be going about this a different way." Said Sakura.

"What's there to plan about? My goggles are missing and I have to get them back!" Kazuya exclaimed.

Behind her, Sakura could hear Jun being held back by the others. Sighing she put her hand on Kazuya's shoulder. "Look, I know how you feel but walking blindly in anger like this won't help." Said Sakura.

"You know how important those goggles are to me and besides…" Kazuya put his hand on his bare forehead. A frown crossed his face. "My forehead is naked. That is so wrong."

"You look fine." Said Sakura.

Kazuya gave a slight smile. "I still want them back." He said quietly. "But I guess I could calm down a bit."

"Hey I smell something up ahead." Said Labramon, as she walked up sniffing the air in front of her.

"What do you smell girl?" Asked Sho.

"I don't know." Said Labramon, questionably. "It sort of smells funny."

"Guess we should check it out." Said Chiisi.

"Lead the way Labramon." Said Sho.

Labramon gave a wide grin. "Whatever you say, Sho-chan!" She happily exclaimed.

Everyone followed Labramon unsure of where they were going. Labramon then stopped with a skid and a yelp. Everyone behind her crashed together and nearly fell on top of each other.

"Why did you stop, mutt?" Jun angrily asked.

"Oh, because of that." Said Labramon, who pointed her paw at the digimon in front of her. It was Minomon hanging from a string of silk. It was swaying back and forth as it began to speak.

"I wouldn't go this way if I were you mino!" The Minomon said.

"What do you mean?" Asked Gazimon.

"People who go to the village here don't come back mino." Said the Minomon.

"They don't come back?" Chiisi questioned.

"Oh that sounds fun." DemiDevimon quipped.

"I'd say this would be worth checking out." Said Fairydramon.

Kazuya looked confidently forward. "Alright, lets get some action!" He shouted.

Without a word, the group walked forward. The Minomon gaped at them. "Wait mino! Didn't you listen to what I said mino!" He said.

"Yeah, yeah we heard you." Said Jun, waving her hand dismissingly.

Minomon sighed before heading back into the trees. "People today are so crazy mino." He said to himself.

Everyone followed Labramon as she led the way with her acute sense of smell. After traveling for about a few minutes, they arrived at what appeared to be an open wooden gate.

"Hey I know this smell, its sake." Said Jun.

"What's sake?" Asked Gazimon.

"Its fermented rice wine." Said Jun. "I should know, my home reeks of it." Jun added, sounding a bit embarrassed.

"What does it taste like?" Asked Labramon. A greedy gleam shone in her eyes. She obviously wanted to try this new drink.

"Beats me. We're underage so we can't drink." Said Jun.

"Oh." Labramon said, disappointed. She then perked up realizing she would taste it herself.

Everyone looked at the village surroundings. Several wooden huts dotted the village. At the far end of the village was what appeared to be a large metal building. The smell of sake wafted from it. Just as they took a step forward, a loud explosion erupted near their feet. Everyone stepped back as sparkles and confetti appeared everywhere.

"Welcome!" A voice greeted. It sounded male with a hint of a lisp.

Out of nowhere popped five digimon. Three of them looked like a geko with a trumpet attached. While the other two looked like small polliwogs with legs. On of the geko-like digimon stepped up.

"Welcome to the Gekomon." The geko digimon pointed to himself. "And Otamamon." He then pointed to one of the blue polliwog digimon. "Brewery." He finished.

"Oh, so that's why we could smell all that sake." Said Sakura.

"Yep. Our village's sake is the best in the entire digital world." Said Gekomon, proudly.

"And it's customary that we give every guest of our village a tour of the brewery." Said one of the Otamamon.

The small group of digimon immediately began pushing the digidestined forward.

"Come now don't be shy." One of the Gekomon said.

"My, they are really eager." Said Sakura.

"Are you sure stopping on a tour would be a good idea?" Asked Sho.

"Well it's not like we have a choice right now." Kazuya replied.

The Gekomon and Otamamon pushed them towards the brewery, all the way to the entrance. As they stepped inside, they were greeted by the site of many Gekomon and Otamamon. They were running about the area doing various tasks to keep the brewery running.

"Wow, so busy!" Sakura said in surprise.

"If you excuse me I have business to attend to." One of the Gekomon said. "This Gekomon here will give you the complementary tour."

The Gekomon and the remaining Otamamon left while one Gekomon stayed behind. The lone Gekmon immediately began talking about the history of the brewery and its many features. Everyone could tell they were going to be bored to death.

"Do we actually have to listen to how booze is made?" Jun whispered, to Sakura.

"I don't see a way out of this." She whispered back.

"But this could be interesting." Said Chiisi. "That digimon earlier said that anyone who goes into this village disappears. I think it would be best if we just go along with this and see what happens."

XXX

Deep beneath the main factory, The Gekomon and Otamamon group from earlier made their way through the passageways. They opened a set of doors to reveal a metal walkway suspended in the air. Below them several digimon sat mixing barrels of sake. Chains covered their legs. Many Gekomon and Otamamon were overseeing them. One of the Otamamon looked sadly at the enslaved digimon. But, he turned forward as his group continued to walk along the walkway, leading into a chamber. As they stepped through, there appeared to be a large lake in the middle with several sake barrels strewn about. A large snake like figure grabbed the barrels one by one and began to gulp them down. In mere minutes, all the barrels were empty.

"More!" The creature hissed, in his snake like voice.

"Orochimon-sama we have just found new servants for you." A Gekomon said, trembling.

"Servants?" Orochimon hissed.

"Y-yes. Five humans and five rookie digimon." An Otamamon said.

"Excellent, put them to work and bring me more sake!" Orochimon ordered, smashing a barrel.

The Gekomon and Otamamon cowered before their master. "I don't think I can keep doing this. It's wrong." An Otamamon whispered to a Gekomon.

"I know, but if we don't listen to him, he'll kill us!" Gekomon replied.

XXX

The tour commenced throughout the brewery and needless to say, everyone was deathly bored. The Gekomon had drolled on and on about the history of their work, and how the Gekomon and Otamamon converted this whole swamp into a village, and how they started business.

Kazuya who had just finished nodding off, was suddenly stricken with an idea.

"Oh hey, where's the bathroom?" he asked.

"Oh, it's down the hall. Take a left then a right. You can't miss it." The Gekomon guide said.

"Thanks! C'mon Gazimon." Said Kazuya.

As Kazuya and Gazimon scurried off, Sho raised his hand as well.

"Oh wait up. I have to go to!" He exclaimed. He ran off to join Kazuya and Gazimon with Labramon following closely behind him.

"Wish I thought of that." Said Jun.

"Okay. That would conclude our tour, so now who wants to go to the gift shop?" Said the Gekomon.

XXX

"That was a great plan Kazuya telling him you had to go to the bathroom!" Said Gazimon. "That tour was getting boring."

"Um, actually I have to go." Kazuya replied.

"Oh, Sho?" Gazimon asked turning to Sho. Sho shook his head yes. Gazimon simply shrugged and said, "It was still boring." The two humans and their diigmon soon arrived at the restroom. As Kazuya and Labramon began to enter, Labramon started to follow them.

"Labramon you stay out here." Sho commanded.

"Aww, but why?!" Labramon asked.

"It's the boys' restroom." Said Sho, pointing to the sign.

"I don't see the problem." Said Labramon.

Sho sighed. "Just stay out here." He said.

Labramon gave a disappointed "hmmph!" as Sho and Kazuya entered the restroom. Gazimon put his paw on Labramon's shoulder. "Don't worry, you got me to keep you company!"

"I'd rather it be Sho-chan." Labramon pouted to herself. Gazimon then spotted a door. Curious, he walked up to it. There was a lock padlocked to it but what really caught his attention was the sign above it.

"Hey Labramon!" Gazimon shouted.

Labramon snapped out of her depression and rushed over to him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Look, this door says storage." Said Gazimon.

"Storage?" Asked Labramon.

"Yeah and I think I have a guess at what's in there." Said Gazimon, smirk forming on his lips. With swipe of his claws, Gazimon broke the lock and pushed the door open. He stepped inside casually.

"Gazimon, if it's locked we shouldn't go in there!" Exclaimed Labramon.

"Hey Labramon, you've got to come in here!" Gazimon shouted.

Labramon followed her friend. Inside the room, there were several gourd jugs lined up perfectly on the shelves. On the floor, Gazimon was holding one of the jugs. He was just about to open it when Labramon stopped him.

"Gazimon don't do that!" She commanded.

"Can't help it, its part of my Gazimon nature." Gazimon said, as he opened the cork and immediately took a sip of the bottle's contents. He lifted his mouth from the bottle, stifling a burp as he licked his lips.

"Hey, I think this is sake." Said Gazimon.

"Really?" Labramon asked.

"Yeah. Try it its pretty good." Said Gazimon, handing the jug to her.

Labramon was at first reluctant to do so. But she gave in and immediately snatched it up and guzzled down what she could. She then gagged and spat it out onto the floor, coughing. The taste was really strong and it overwhelmed her.

"Hey, not so fast. Try to drink it slowly." Gazimon suggested.

Labramon looked at the gourd on the floor. The remaining liquid was dripping onto the floor. Labramon decided to take Gazimon's advice and started to lap it up slowly. She smacked her lips a few times.

"Yummy!" Labramon said with a smile.

Gazimon returned her smile. "You know I think we deserve a little reward for all the butt kicking we've been doing." Said Gazimon.

Labramon nodded and the two went to get more jugs.

XXX

Jun sighed with boredom as she and the others looked around the gift shop. She wondered what the point of coming here was. They did not have any money so it was not like they could buy anything

"Hey Jun, look at this!" Penguinmon said, excitedly. He was holding up a small snowglobe. Inside, there was a Penguinmon standing next to an igloo. Penguinmon held it up to Jun as if he was beckoning her.

"Even if I had money I wouldn't buy this thing." Said Jun. Penguinmon slinked down in disappointment.

"Can we go now?" Jun asked, in an annoyed tone to her companions.

"Oh, but we haven't finished looking around." Said Sakura. Sakura and Fairydramon were looking at various glasses with the brewery logo on it.

"Has anyone noticed that the Gekomon is gone?" Chiisi suddenly asked.

Everyone looked and indeed the Gekomon from before had disappeared. In fact, there was not even anyone at the register.

"This is just screaming trap." Said DemiDevimon.

Suddenly the doors opened and a large group of Gekomon and Otamamon stormed inside.

"A poorly executed trap." Said Fairydramon.

Jun stepped up cracking her knuckles. "Allright, if anyone is willing to kick ass, then step up." Fairydramon and DemiDevimon bared their claws.

The Gekomon and Otamamon took a few nervous steps back. "Calm down everyone. They can't take us all on!" The lead Gekomon said, confidently.

Moments later…

The last Otamamon fell unconscious to the ground. The lead Gekomon stared in disbelief at his fallen companions. "What do you know? They beat us." He said.

"Alright geko, care to tell us why you and your friends were going to jump us?" Said Jun. "And be sure to answer wisely." She added, cracking her knuckles. The Gekomon looked to both his sides, both human and digimon blocked his path.

"It wasn't anything personal. We just didn't have a choice in the matter." Said Gekomon.

"Someone is forcing you to do this?" Asked Chiisi.

Gekomon nodded before beginning his story. "A few months ago we found this strange purple sphere. Strangely it improved the quality of our sake." "After that business boomed for a while. But then Orochimon came."

"Orochimon?" Sakura asked.

Gekomon nodded. "He took over the brewery and forced us to make him sake." But he is an extreme slave driver so it became necessary for us to kidnap any digimon who came to our village to keep up with his demands."

"Hmm…Orochi and sake. It makes sense." Said Chiisi.

"So we're fighting a drunkard. That should be easy enough." Jun said confidently.

"Orochimon is not someone to be taken lightly!" Gekomon warned.

"We're sure he is as strong as you say, but we can't allow someone like him to get away with this." Said Fairydramon.

"Yeah, besides a little fight never hurt anyone." Said DemiDevimon.

Sakura knelt down to the Gekomon. "Please show us where Orochimon is." She said.

"Yeah, help us and I might forget about the whole trying to capture us thing." Jun added. The Gekomon gulped and nodded in agreement.

"We should head to the restroom before we go." Said Chiisi.

Everyone stared at him questionably before it suddenly hit them.

XXX

"Man, I miss my goggles." Kazuya said, within the bathroom stall.

"Mmm hmm." Sho mumbled.

Kazuya put his hand to his bare forehead. He felt it frowning as he did.

"It's weird, but the goggles made me seem like the leader, you know?" Kazuya asked.

"I guess." Sho said impatiently.

"I just feel so incomplete without them." Kazuya continued.

"Kazuya, I can't go if you keep talking!" Sho exclaimed.

Kazuya was a bit taken back by Sho's outburst. "Sorry." He said.

Twin flushes then sounded off as the two boys stepped out of their stalls. They headed towards the sink and started to finish their restroom business.

"I just want them back. Is that so wrong?" Kazuya asked.

"Look, I know you miss them, but whining about it won't bring them back." Said Sho.

Kazuya sighed in exasperation. "Well, it's not like they're just going to be under a trap door or something." Said Kazuya.

As if on cue, the floor opened up beneath the two boy's feet. The two of them tumbled down crashing into each other. The next thing the two boys knew, the floor was staring back at them. Expecting to feel cold hard cement, they were pleasantly surprised to feel something soft and springy. They found they had landed on a mattress, placed as if someone had expected them to fall. Before they could ponder this, Kazuya and Sho felt something clamp onto their legs. They looked down to see chains were attacked to their legs.

"What's going on?!" Sho asked.

Sho's answer was several jabs from some Gekomon. The two boys were pushed towards a large barrel of sake. Stirring spoons lay within the barrel.

"Sorry. Nothing personal, but you two should get to work." On of the Gekomon said.

Kazuya looked around at the various digimon that were forced to mix the sake barrels and other forms of labor.

"Well, look who it is." A familiar Brooklyn accented voice said, snapping Kazuya out if his thoughts.

He turned to his left to see a small black colored digimon with a red scarf and yellow smiley face on its belly. But what really caught Kazuya's attention were the pair of silver rimmed goggles hanging around his neck.

"Impmon!" Kazuya shouted. In an instant he lunged toward the demon digimon but fell over due to the chain.

"Aw did ya fall down?" Impmon mocked.

"Give me back my goggles!" Kazuya shouted, as tried to reach out towards Impmon.

Next to Kazuya, Sho watched as the Gekomon and Otamamon were holding Kazuya back and helping him stand up. As he began to stir the sake, he began to wonder if he had the worst luck in the universe.

XXX

Loud laughter filled the storage room. Inside, many sake jugs lay empty and strewn about. Gazimon and Labramon lay on the floor laughing loud and obnoxiously. Their faces beneath their fur were bright red. It could be plain to anyone they were sloshed.

"Ya know buddy (hic)?" Gazimon slurred.

Labramon was still lapping up some sake she spilled. She turned her head up hiccupping as she did. "(hic) Wha?" she asked.

"You are my besht (hic) buddy in da entire Digital (hic) World." Gazimon slurred.

"Aww no way." Labramon said, bashfully.

"I-I'm serioushly (hic) yooouuuu are my buddy!" Gazimon said, pointing drunkenly at Labramon.

"Ya knowsh how (hic) ta make a lady feelsh goods about (hic) hershelf!" Labramon slurred.

"But the real lady ish Fairydra(hic)mon." Gazimon slurred , trying his best to stand up.

"Wash she got that I don gots (hic)?" Labramon asked offended.

"She ish justs hot!" Gazimon slurred.

Labramon's offended face quickly faded into an idiotic grin. She hiccupped once as her tongue rolled out. "Da realz hot one ish Sho-chan (hic)." Slurred Labramon.

"Wha?" Gazimon said in surprise.

"Trusht me Sho ish shooooooo hot!" Labramon slurred, seduction starting to creep into her voice.

"In fact I'm a (hic) gonna tell him that!" Exclaimed Labramon. She got up to her feet wobbling a bit from the affects of the alcohol. Before she could leave, the sound of a door opening snapped her and her drunken companion to attention.

"What are you two doing here?!" The Otamamon in the doorway asked.

"(Hic)." Gazimon hiccupped.

The Otamamon looked at the empty jugs and at the two digimon on the floor.

"You guys made a mess. Boy I'm going to hear it!" The Otamamon lamented.

"Wha you shay about my Sho-chan?!" Labramon yelled drunkenly.

The Otamamon blinked in confusion. Before he could defend himself, he was sent flying into the wall with a Retrieve Bark.

Labramon smiled. "(Hic) showed him." She hiccupped.

Gazimon staggered to Labramon climbing up on her back. With Gazimon in tow, Labramon staggered off, giggling as they went.

XXX

Sakura tried her best to keep her worry in check. She and the others ran towards the restroom area. She knew that Kazuya and Sho would be their next targets. They followed the Gekomon hoping that their friends were safe. As they neared their destination, two familiar faces were at the restroom door.

"Gazimon! Labramon!" Sakura shouted.

At the sounds of their names, Gazimon and Labramon turned around.

"Hey buddies!" Gazimon said happily.

It could be plain to everyone there that something was wrong with the two digimon.

"So Shakura hows shings?" Gazimon asked, as he collapsed to the floor off Labramon's back.

"Um Gazimon, are you feeling alright?" Sakura asked.

"Course I yam!" Gazimon said, stifling a burp.

Gazimon then spotted Fairydramon standing next to Sakura. He strode up to her embracing her in his arms.

"Ya know you are the hottest shing in this room babe." Gazimon slurred.

"Babe?" Said Fairydramon, her face twisting into disgust as Gazimon's breath wafted into her face.

"Now gives ush a kish." Said Gazimon, as he puckered up and tried to kiss Fairydramon. Fairydramon quickly retaliated and slapped Gazimon to the ground.

"Ugh his breath smells rancid!" Fairydramon, angrily exclaimed. Although she was more disgusted at the prospect of Gazimon almost kissing her.

"What's wrong with them?" Asked Penguinmon. He noticed Labramon seemed to be dancing with someone invisible. Or, close to dancing as a four-legged digimon could do.

Jun walked up to Gazimon looking at his eyes. She took a whiff of his breath wrinkling her nose. "He's drunk." Said Jun.

"Oh!" Labramon shouted, as she crashed into a wall.

"And I think it's safe to say the mutt is drunk as well." Jun continued.

"Who you calling drunk?" Labramon asked, offended.

"They must have gotten in the storage room." Said Gekomon. "That's going to push us behind."

Chiisi began to push the buttons on his digiivce. He stopped when two red and orange blips showed up on his screen.

"Kazuya and Sho are apparently under us." Said Chiisi.

"They must be in Orochimon's chamber." Said Gekomon.

"Is there an elevator?" Chiisi asked.

"Yes." Replied Gekomon.

"Good, so we'll take it." Said Chiisi.

Before they did, a drunken Gazimon inquired. "Wha abou ush?" he said pointing to him and Labramon.

"I would leave them." Said Fairydramon. "Serves them right for drinking what they shouldn't have."

"That's a little mean, don't you think?" Said Penguinmon.

"Yeah. It might be fun to take them along." Said DemiDevimon.

Fairydramon raised her eye. "You just want them to make fools of themselves in front of their partners, don't you?" She asked.

"Mmm yeah." DemiDevimon admitted.

"Well, I suppose taking them along is better than leaving them here." Said Fairydramon.

XXX

Kazuya and Sho had been toiling for a while now. They would spend all their time stirring sake barrels, and when they were done, a new one was rolled into place. Kazuya s attention was turned toward Impmon however. The imp digimon would tease Kazuya over his precious goggles. He would occasionally hold them out and when Kazuya would try to reach for them, he would pull them back and laugh as Kazuya fell.

"You know you can't reach it, so why bother?" Sho asked.

"If this chain wasn't so short, I could reach it." Said Kazuya.

"Well you better get back to work. We might be here for a long time." Said Sho.

"You have to have more faith. I bet the others will be here soon and rescue us." Said Kazuya.

Sho could not believe his friend's optimism. They were chained up who knows where, being forced to brew sake for some digimon. But Kazuya's optimism was about to pay off. As one of the Gekomon overseers was well overseeing, three syringes with faces on them were shot at his feet. He jumped as they shattered at his feet.

"Aww, kid couldn't I hit him?" DemiDevimon asked, impatiently.

"We don't want to kill them." Said Chiisi.

The group made their way to the bottom floor where the Gekomon and Otamamon stood ready to fight.

"Guys you made it!" Said Kazuya. "See? I told you."

Sho could not believe it. Maybe there was something to this optimism thing.

"Kazuya!" Gazimon shouted. He ran toward Kazuya grabbing onto his leg.

"Gazimon are you alright?" Asked Kazuya, noticing his partner was acting a bit odd.

"Kazuya buddy, I just wanna tells ya that I love you man, I love you." Said Gazimon.

"Um what's wrong with him? Asked Kazuya.

"Oh he and the mutt got drunk." Said Jun.

"Drunk?!" Kazuya said, in disbelief.

"Mutt?" Sho asked.

"Sho-chan!" Labramon plodded up to Sho. She leapt up to him, putting her paws up to about his shoulders.

"Oh Sho-chan my love, were togezer agains!" Labramon exclaimed.

"What?!" Sho said, in shock.

Labramon continued to push on Sho until he fell to the ground. "Labramon what are you doing?!" Sho asked. "No, no be silent my love." Labramon said, her breath almost making Sho gag.

"You are sho handshome and cute big boy." Labramon slurred, seductively. "But now zat wur togethers, we can have shom fun arounds here." Labramon knelt in close to Sho. A seductive look was on her face and who knows what thoughts raced in her intoxicated mind. Labramon's face soon turned into a different expression. Her face contorted and she made some sounds in her throat.

Sho had a very good idea of what was about to happen so her turned Labramon's head quickly to the side. Everyone gaped as Labramon puked her guts out all over the floor.

"Oh I feel sho shleepy now." Labramon said, and in a moment she was out like a light.

"That was strange." Said Sho, as he nervously looked at the barfy mess beside him.

As the Gekomon and Otamamon were distracted by this strange turn of events, the Gekomon with the digidestined stopped them.

"Wait! These guys are going to free us from Orochimon!" He pleaded with his co-workers. Gekomon pleaded and explained to his friends. Although reluctant to place their trust in mere human children, they would take anyone who wanted to free them from Orochimon. So, they began to free all of the captured digimon. The captured digimon were more concerned with getting out of there, than getting back at their captors. However, they left Impmon where he stood.

"Hey what am I, garbage?!" Impmon asked, in annoyance. His cries of protest turned to shock as a newly free Kazuya (with a drunken Gazimon still hanging on to his leg) was standing over him.

"Look I was just kidding." Impmon pleaded.

Kazuya simply took his goggles from around Impmon's neck. "Just get out! You're free to go." Said Kazuya, as a Gekomon freed Impmon from his shackles. Impmon hesitantly took a step forward before running off. He quickly turned around sticking his tongue out at Kazuya.

Kazuya ignored that. He was glad he had his precious goggles.

"My precious." Said Kazuya, as he put his goggles on his forehead. Kazuya felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Sakura.

"I'm glad you and Sho are safe." Said Sakura.

"Me too." Replied Kazuya.

"Say, if you two are done we have an evil digimon to beat." Said Jun.

"Uh right." Said Sakura.

"You guys go ahead. Sho and I are going to have to take care of these guys." Kazuya said, as he pointed to the sleeping Labramon and now sleeping Gazimon on his leg.

Sakura nodded in agreement and went to join the others. "You know someone should probably make sure every one gets out. Things could get rough." Suggested Jun.

"Are you offering to help?" Asked Chiisi.

"I'm just saying." Jun replied.

"Alright Jun. Get everyone out of here." Said Chiisi.

Jun nodded affirmatively. "Hey Miyamoto, Sanbara, you might want to take your drunkards with us." Said Jun. She and the other Gekomon and Otamamon began to leave. Kazuya held Gazimon and began to follow them. Sho had a bit of trouble as he tried to get Labramon on his back. After a few tries, he was successful.

"Oh sure, no one help me." Said Sho, as he struggled with his digimon. "Man Labramon, you really should consider a diet." Said Sho, as he exited.

XXX

"This must be the place." Said Chiisi.

The two humans and two digimon now stood in Orochimon's lake chamber. A large group of sake barrels stood ready for consumption.

"So what do we do? Just sit here and wait?" Sakura asked.

Fairydramon and DemiDevimon took defensive stances. They looked ready to fight.

"Something's coming." Said Fairydramon.

A loud splash filled the area as a figure rose out of the water. When the water cleared, there stood an eight headed serpent. Seven of its heads were colored yellow while the one in the middle was colored black. Everyone could guess that this was Orochimon.

"Eight heads just like the story." Said Chiisi.

"What are you doing here?!" Orochimon hissed.

"We're here to free this place from your tyranny!" Sakura shouted. She felt brave for shouting something like that.

"You must be the human slaves I was told about."

"These children are not your slaves!" Fairydramon shouted. "Sakura!" Fairydramon motioned to Sakura. Sakura nodded and held up her digivice.

"**Fairydramon evolve! Tiamon!**"

"Hey kid let me in on this action!" DemiDevimon shouted. Chiisi held up his digivice in response.

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**"

Orochimon laughed. "You expect two champions to stand up to defeat an Ultimate?" Orochimon mocked.

"He's an Ultimate?" Fairydramon asked, shocked.

"That's just fine with me!" Devimon shouted as he flew forward

Orochimon snapped at him with three of his heads. Devimon dodged them but he was struck by the two heads on the side.

"Ember Claw!" Tiamon struck Orochimon with one of her blazing claws.

"Thanks, but which head do we destroy?" Devimon asked.

"Puny Champions you cannot stand against my power." Orochimon said.

"Sake Breath!" Orochimon breathed a stream of flame at the two Champions. The force of the attack sent them to the ground Sakura and Chiisi ran to their partner's sides. Tiamon and Devimon both moved showing that they were still alright.

"They still live?!" Orochimon said in confusion.

Orochimon headed toward the sake barrels and immediately began gulping down as many as he could. In an instant, the large pile was reduced to about three barrels. Orochimon swayed in the water. "Sake precious sake." Orochimon hissed.

"I see the sake makes him strong." Said Chiisi.

"So the drunker he gets, the stronger he becomes?" Sakura inquired.

Chiisi nodded in agreement.

"So how are we supposed to beat him?" Sakura asked.

"Don't you remember the story? Orochi was slain by cutting off all eight of his heads while he was drunk." Said Chiisi.

"I don't know if they could last enough to cut them all off." Sakura said, as Tiamon and Devimon slowly rose to their feet.

"I've got a better idea." Said Chiisi. "Notice how only the right and left heads attacked?"

"Yes." Sakura replied.

"Alcohol is flammable." Chiisi said, with a slight smile.

Sakura saw where her cousin was going. "Tiamon get a mouthful of sake while he's still intoxicated."

Tiamon blinked in confusion but obeyed her partner's wish. Running up to the barrels she reached for one.

"My sake!" Orochimon hissed. He lunged at Tiamon smashing into the barrels. Tiamon had managed to escape with one. She bit down on it causing it to break. She gathered a mouthful although she found the taste a little disgusting.

"Now breathe!" Sakura commanded.

"Tiamat Fire!" Tiamon shouted. Due to the sake in her mouth, the fire intensified into a vast stream that spread to all of Orochimon's eight heads. When the fire cleared, seven of the heads were now gone while the middle one was still standing, albeit a bit burned.

"Now Devimon!" Chiisi shouted.

Devimon flew up towards the center head, claw outstretched.

"Touch of evil!" Devimon's claw impaled itself in Orochimon's remaining head. Orochimon gasped for air for a moment before the head and the body deleted.

"They did it!" Sakura exclaimed. "That was some good thinking cousin." Sakura complemented.

"Just applying knowledge." Chiisi replied.

Deep within the brewery, in one of the main machines, something was moving. A purple glow erupted from the machine, as a glowing purple sphere began to move. At first, it moved slowly before quickly speeding off, phasing through the walls. Working its way through, it managed to reach the lower levels and headed toward Orochimon's chamber.

Chiisi, Sakura, and their devolved digimon were about to leave, when the glowing purple sphere appeared in front of them, stopping in front of Chiisi. The glowing stopped showing the symbol on it. Engraved on it was what appeared to be two eyeglasses or perhaps two pools of water.

"It's a digicore and its mine." Said Chiisi. The digicore slowly made its way into Chiisi's body. His eyes opened wide and he collapsed to the ground. Sakura helped her cousin up.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, now that I have the Digicore of Knowledge." Chiisi said, putting a hand to his chest.

XXX

Outside the brewery, the Gekomon and Otamamon stood assembled in front of the digidestined.

"On behalf of everyone here, we would like to give you our thanks and something from the gift shop." The lead Gekomon said, holding out a small snowglobe with a Penguinmon in it.

"Yay!" Penguinmon shouted happily.

"Oh perfect." Jun said, sarcastically.

"We were just glad to help." Said Kazuya. He was still holding Gazimon in his arms.

"I know apologies won't take back what we did, but if you ever need our help just call us." The Gekomon said.

"We'll hold you to that." Said Kazuya.

"Say, when are these guys supposed to wake up?" Asked Sho. He was still struggling to carry Labramon.

"Oh don't worry. Our sake goes right through you." The Gekomon said.

"But from the amount they drank they are going to each have a heck of a hangover." Said an Otamamon.

The digidestined left the brewery. Again they had triumphed over another challenge.

"Well that was an interesting experience." said Chiisi.

"I'm just glad to have my goggles back." Said Kazuya. Now the boy felt complete.

"Say guys, a little help here!" Sho shouted on his knees. "Labramon's really heavy!"

XXX

On the cliffs the sound of the sea could be heard as waves crashed. It was a scene of peace and tranquility. That is, until a hand shot up from the cliff and a wet figure pulled itself up. When it made it, its whole body lit up causing steam to rise.

"I'm not finished yet, brats." SkullMeramon said. His red eyes burned with hatred and insanity.

To be continued……….


	17. Chapter 17

Steam rose off SkullMeramon's body as he regained his composure. Surviving the ocean was no simple ordeal. Water was torture to fire digimon like him. It had taken all of his strength and will to keep himself from deleting. Now he was back and eager to pay the digidestined back tenfold for what they did to him. But first, he had to plan.

He had simply followed the children hoping to catch them on the run. Now he was beginning to see that was not very effective. Now he was silently cursing himself for not staying on his Blimpmon. Looking ahead, he could see the swamp. He had heard stories about this swamp. Although he wanted nothing more than to kill the digidestined, he would rather not take his chances in a place like that. Perhaps, he thought, it was time to head back to base.

SkullMeramon searched around for any way of contacting his minions. Luck was on his side as he spotted a telephone booth.

"Glad these things are in random places." Said SkullMeramon.

Opening the booth, he reached for the phone and dialed a set of numbers.

"7-5-8-5-5-6-3-7-2-6-6-6" SkullMeramon recited. Normally a phone never had this many digit's, but SkullMeramon was not exactly making a normal call. The phone rang until the sound a receiver being picked up could be heard.

"Hello. You've reached the base of SkullMeramon. How may I help you?" The Goblimon on the other end answered.

"Idiot! Don't just announce it like that!" SkullMeramon screamed into the receiver.

"Boss!" The Goblimon stood to attention. "How can I help you sir?" The Goblimon asked.

"Are the repairs to my Blimpmon finished?" Asked SkullMeramon.

"Y-yes sir. The repairs are complete." The Goblimon stammered.

"Good. I need you to pick me up and take me back to base." SkullMeramon demanded.

"But sir, you really want to fly back to Directory?" The Goblimon questioned.

"Were you born stupid?" SkullMeramon snarled. The Goblimon cowered in fear. Even far away, SkullMeramon was scary.

"I mean my base! The one I'm contacting you at!" SkullMeramon yelled.

"W-why yes. Of course, sir." Said the Goblimon.

"Good! Now hurry up, before I send a fireball through the phone and burn your ear off!" SkullMeramon threatened as he slammed the receiver.

Back at the base, the Goblimon was still stricken with fear. "I need to get a new job." He said to himself.

SkullMeramon smiled to himself. He believed that fear was the best way to commands one's minions. However, a Brooklyn accented voice brought him to attention.

"Yo bossman!" SkullMeramon looked down to see an Impmon looking up at him with a look of admiration.

"Heh, I knew dose human punks couldn't beat you." Impmon bootlicked.

"Who are you?" asked SkullMeramon.

"Ya number one henchmon of course!" Said Impmon.

"You work for me?" SkullMeramon questioned.

Impmon put his hand on the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, not exactly." Said Impmon. "Not yet, at least."

"I sort of hacked your signal ta ya other minions and well, I wanna join up." Said Impmon.

SkullMeramon looked at the small digimon. He wanted to kill this little pest here and now, but an idea struck him.

"You say you hacked the message I sent out?" Asked SkullMeramon.

"Yeah." Impmon replied.

"Then perhaps you can be of some use to me." Said SkullMeramon. SkullMeramon crossed his arms before he began. "Somewhere hidden on this continent is a rebel base." SkullMeramon began.

"Rebels?" Impmon questioned.

SkullMeramon nodded. "Yes. This particular base has set up a network to the other rebels around the Digital World." SkullMeramon continued. "So far I haven't any luck finding them, but if your skills are as good as you say they are, I could find their signal and eliminate them!"

Impmon looked up with an evil, determined grin on his face. "Ya can count on me!"

"Good. Do a good job and I can put a good word in for you to the Fallen Angels." Said SkullMeramon.

As Impmon reveled in this proposal, SkullMeramon's formally bad mood lightened. Once he found that rebel base, his plan could come to fruition. He had failed so far in finding the digicores and eliminating the digidestined, but if he conquered the continent of Folder, the Fallen Angels would be most pleased.

XXX

"This is disgusting." Sho whined. He had stepped in some of the swamp muck. Sho spotted a gnarled tree branch and rubbed off what he could off of his shoe.

"It's just a swamp, so quit complaining." Jun retorted. She stood behind Sho helping him carry the still sleeping Labramon. Sho was surprised when she offered to help, but she only claimed that she was tired of Sho's whining about Labramon being heavy.

"Geez you weren't kidding. This mutt weighs a ton!" Said Jun.

"Told you." Sho replied.

Ahead, Kazuya still carried the sleeping Gazimon in his arms, as he surveyed the area. Everywhere they looked, large trees obscured their surroundings and blocked out much of the sunlight.

"Wow! This swamp is so thick." Kazuya exclaimed.

He then felt something drip onto his shirt. He looked to see that Gazimon was now drooling on him. His lips were curled into a perverted smile. Kazuya immediately held his partner away.

"When the heck are these guys going to wake up?" Asked Kazuya.

"Well, the Gekomon said their sake goes right through you." Sakura replied.

"Yeah, but when is that supposed to be?" Asked Kazuya.

Due to the fact that the swamp seemed to have no end and the two drunk digimon had yet to awaken, everyone was in a bad mood. Well, except Penguinmon. He was still playing with his new snow globe. He would turn it around in different directions and laugh as the fake snow fell.

"Why don't you give that a rest?" DemiDevimon replied in an annoyed tone.

"But it's fun!" Penguinmon replied. He continued to play with the snow globe with much glee.

"Just give me one moment and I can end it." DemiDevimon said, a demi dart materializing in his talon.

Chiisi put up his hand and shook his head. DemiDevimon groaned and tossed the demi dart away.

Behind them, Jun's annoyance at the still sleeping Labramon was reaching its zenith and so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She tightly pulled back on Labramon. Sho gasped in surprise and dropped her. Labramon landed with a thud.

"Jun!" Sho shouted. However, a groan from Labramon changed his attention.

"Knew it would work." Said Jun.

Labramon opened her eyes slowly. They appeared tired and bloodshot. "Oh Sho-chan, where am I?" Labramon asked in a sleepy voice.

"Hey everyone, Labramon is awake!" Sho shouted.

"Oh Sho-chan. Not so loud." Said Labramon, putting a paw to her head.

"Sorry." Sho apologized.

"Oh, my head hurts." Labramon whined, rubbing her head.

Kazuya heard a groan from his arms and looked down to see Gazimon waking up. Like Labramon, his eyes had the same tired, bloodshot appearance to them.

"Hey Kazuya, when did you have a twin?" Gazimon asked in a tired voice.

Kazuya set Gazimon on the ground. Gazimon started to wobble as he tried to maintain his balance.

"Why is the room spinning?" Gazimon asked. Gazimon grabbed at his head with both of his paws. "My head feels like there's a rampaging Monochromon in it."

"Well, it serves you and Labramon right for drinking." Fairydramon snorted.

Gazimon lazily looked around. "So where are we?" He asked.

"A swamp." Chiisi replied suddenly.

"Oh. We going anywhere?" Gazimon asked.

"No, we can't find anything in this place." Said Kazuya.

"Why don't we find a place to rest? Look there's a clearing up ahead." Sakura pointed.

They all headed toward the clearing, although Gazimon and Labramon had to use their partners for walking support, as their hangovers took their toll on them. They didn't notice the ground in the center was suspiciously covered with leaves. Everyone gave out a yell, as the vine net surrounded them and pulled them up high.

"Pa! Pa! My trap worked." A small voice like a child said.

A small pink rabbit-eared digimon hopped into view, small sharp teeth poked out of his mouth.

"Hey, let us out you little twerp!" Jun yelled.

"My snow globe!" Penguinmon shouted with tears in his eyes. When they were caught by the net, Penguinmon had dropped his snowglobe which now lay shattered on the floor.

"Forget your freaking snow globe!" Jun shouted.

Gazimon and Labramon winced in pain. Needless to say all this shouting was not making their headaches go away.

"Well I'll be! The thing worked." Said a male backwoods voice. A green amphibian digimon with a large red fin appeared next to the small digimon.

The amphibian digimon looked up at the struggling humans and digimon in the net.

"Hey son, ya caught a bunch a humans." The amphibian digimon said.

"Uh huh. I must be really good!" The small digimon replied hopping up and down.

"Excuse me, but could you please get us down?" Sakura asked.

"Hold on, I'll get ya down." The Amphibian digimon said. The red fin on his back detached and moved like a boomerrange towards the vines, cutting them. Everyone yelled as they fell to the ground.

"Sorry about that folks. My young un here likes ta set up traps." Said the amphibian digimon.

"Perfect, we have encountered hillbillies." Jun said to herself, noticing the digimon's accent.

"Alow me ta introduce myself, names Betamon." The digimon introduced.

"This here's ma son, Koromon." Betamon motioned to the small hopping digimon next to him.

"No more talking please!" Said Gazimon. He was holding his head in pain. Labramon was doing the same and making a whining noise.

"Well what's wrong with him?" Betamon asked.

"He and Labramon had a little too much to drink." Said Kazuya.

"Well why didn't ya say so? My missus has just the thing." Betamon said with a smile.

"Why don't ya come back to our home and rest a spell?" Betamon offered.

Everyone looked at each other questionably "Well a rest couldn't hurt." Said Chiisi. Everyone agreed and followed Betamon and Koromon. Penguinmon stayed behind to mourn his lost snow globe. Jun noticed this and scoffed at her digimon.

"Oh get over it and come on." Said Jun.

Penguinmon looked down sadly. "Okay Jun. Whatever you say." He said, following Jun.

In the trees, a figure was watching Jun and Penguinmon. "The tension, the repressed emotions, that girl needs an attitude adjustment!" The figure then leapt into the trees with a shout of "Kiiiiiiiiiii!"

Jun briefly turned away, hearing that cry, but she shrugged and ignored it. Betamon and Koromon soon led them to a large tree. An opening stood in the center showing that the tree was hollow. A smaller hold was near the top of the tree. Smoke wafted out of it, showing that it was some sort of chimney. The group entered the entrance going down a small path.

"Ma we're back!" Koromon yelled, hopping into the room.

At a fireplace, a frogish digimon was stirring a substance in a kettle. She had orange fur on the upper half of her body with yellow on the lower half. Three spikes adorned her back.

Koromon bounced to his mother sharing a nuzzle with her. Betamon walked over to his family. He and his wife shared a romantic kiss. DemiDevimon made a gagging sound as they did.

"Well its good ta have my boys back. I think suppers done." The frogish digimon said, sharing her husband and son's accent.

"Hope ya don' mind, but we brought some guests." Said Betamon. Betamon's wife turned to see the group of humans and digimon.

"Yea. I caught them in my trap, ma!" Koromon said excitedly.

Betamon turned to the group, putting one of his feet on his wife's own webbed feet affectionately. "I like ya to meet ma wife, Gizamon." He said.

"Hello there." Gizamon greeted.

"Say Gizamon, I was wondering if ya mind if these fellers star for supper?" Betamon asked.

"Not a problem with me, Betamon. Plenty ta go around." Gizamon replied

"Say, you said you had something for Labramon and me?" Gazimon asked, still holding his head.

"Oh! Almost plum forgot." Betamon remembered. "Say Ma, these fellers got some hangovers."

"Oh got just the thin." Said Gizamon. She went to a shelf near the stove and grabbed a bottle with her mouth. She hopped over to Gazimon and Labramon, opening the bottle when she reached them.

"This stuff will do the trick." Said Gizamon, handing the bottle to Gazimon and Labramon. The bottle was filled with a reddish liquid. They were not sure what the stuff was, but if it could fix their headaches, they did not care. They immediately guzzled it down. First, Gazimon took a swig and then Labramon finished it off.

For a moment nothing happened, but then Gazimon and Labramons faces contorted in surprise.

"OWWWW HOT!" Gazimon and Labramon both yelled in unison. They began fanning their mouths, their tongues rolling out. In moments, their mouths cooled down.

"Hey, my headache is gone." Said Gazimon.

"Mine too." Said Labramon.

"Wow they're cured!" Kazuya said in amazement. Everyone else was surprised as well.

"Yep. My little darlin's special stuff does the trick, although there is a spicy aftertaste." Said Betamon.

Labramon began to sniff the air. A hungry look appeared on her face.

"Is that food I smell?" Labramon asked, pointing towards the kettle.

"Well if ya hungry, I'll pass around supper." Said Gizamon. She went aroundm getting several bowls and putting the contents of the kettle in them. She then passed it around to her family, the digidestined, and their digimon.

"Well, dig in." Betamon said enthusiastically.

"Yeah. Ya gonna love Ma's cooking." Said Koromon.

The children and their digimon stared at the food before them. If they could call it food. In the bowls sat a goopy purple substance.

"Um excuse me, but what's in this? Asked Sakura.

"Oh swamp roots, plants, and mushrooms." Said Gizamon.

"Oh." Sakura simply said.

"The only thing missing from this scene is a corncob pipe, a banjo, and a jug of moonshine." Jun whispered to Sho.

"Jun, that's not nice!" Penguinmon said to his partner. But again, it had no effect.

Sho looked at his bowl. His face turned green when he saw it bubble a bit.

"Maybe we should just try it. We wouldn't want to be rude." Sakura suggested.

With brave faces, everyone took a sip of the substance. Everyone's eyes went wide as they choked it down. They calmly set down their bowls and pushed them forward.

"What's wrong?" Gizamon asked.

"Um, well, uh, yeah." Kazuya stammered.

"It's just…we're really full." Gazimon said.

Gizamon shrugged accepting the excuse. "Good save." Kazuya whispered to Gazimon.

"Wow, this is good!" Labramon exclaimed, finishing her bowl. "Say, do you mind if I have yours?" She asked. Everyone instantly handed her their bowls. Labramon licked her muzzle and began to wolf down the other bowls.

"Looks like the Digital World's bottomless pit is back in business." DemiDevimon snickered.

"Told ya Ma's cooking was good." Said Koromon.

Betamon chuckled at his son's compliment to his mother. "Say, what is a bunch a humans doing in the Digital World?" Betamon inquired.

"Oh you know. Saving the world…beating the bad guys…that sort of thing." Said Kazuya.

"Yeah we're awesome. Especially me." Gazimon said, proudly.

"Well, he is partially back to normal." DemiDevimon said to Chiisi.

"You know, I'm surprised to see a family like this." Said Sakura.

"Tell me about it." Jun said rudely.

"Well it's just…I didn't expect digimon to…well you know…be married and have children." Said Sakura.

"Well not everyone." Said Betamon. "Most digimon are simply just born at Primary Village and just keep living out multiple lives." Betamon then gave a proud look towards Koromon. "But our young un here is a special case."

Gizamon gave a proud look towards her son as well. "I'll neva forget the day we swapped our data and made our little digitama." Gizamon said warmly.

Koromon gave a wide toothy smile at his parent's evident pride in his existence.

"Swapped data?" Kazuya questioned.

Chiisi put his hand up before Kazuya could further question. "I don't think we should ask about digimon reproduction." Said Chiisi.

"Thank you for having us over for dinner, but we really should be going. Would you happen to know the way out of the swamp?" Sakura asked, making a slight bow.

"Sure. Just keep on the forest path. It seems long, but y'all will get out." Said Betamon.

"Ahh but ya can't leave yet!" Koromon said, hopping up.

"I wanted ta show ya swamp skiing!" Said Koromon, enthusiastically.

Kazuya looked at the bouncing Koromon. He did not want to disappoint the child. "You know I think we could spend a little time here." He suggested.

"Yahoo!" Koromon said happily. "Follow me!" Koromon bounced towards the entrance. Everyone got up to follow him, well except Labramon.

"Are you coming Labramon?" Asked Sho.

"I'll catch up, Sho-chan." Labramon answered.

After Sho left, Labramon looked at the kettle. "Say, are you going to finish all of that?" She asked the married digimon.

Outside, Koromon bounced enthusiastically as he led the group. "Come on, it's this way!" Koromon exclaimed.

"Cute kid, huh?" Gazimon asked Fairydramon.

Fairydramon smiled a bit. "Well, he is very excitable." Said Fairydramon.

Gazimon sighed, leaning into Fairydramon. Fairydramon's face lit up in surprise, as he began to rub against her side.

"Didn't seeing that scene of love back there make you want to settle down and raise a happy little family?" Gazimon asked.

Fairydramon's surprised look changed to a dry one, as she bared one of her claws.

"I suggest you stop talking to me. Unless you want to end up a digitama." Fairydramon threatened, brandishing her claws. Gazimon backed away holding up his arms.

"Just asking." Said Gazimon.

"Heh, now he's fully back to normal." DemiDevimon snickered.

While Gazimon was busy cursing himself at another failed attempt to charm Fairydramon, Kazuya turned to Sakura.

"Say Sakura, did you really mean what you said about being surprised about a digimon family?" Kazuya asked.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "It's just, when we first arrived in this world, to me digimon seemed like animals." She said. "Well, intelligent animals." She added, not wanting to sound offensive.

"Seeing that family sort of made me think of home." Said Sakura.

"Yes. To be honest I am a little homesick." Chiisi admitted.

At that moment, everyone stopped walking. Thoughts of their homes and families filled their heads.

"You know, our families must be panicking, wondering where we are." Said Kazuya.

"I know mine is." Said Sho. "My parents have probably hired the entire Japanese army."

"Could we please not talk about families right now?" Jun asked, in an annoyed tone.

"Well excuse me, but some of us are homesick." Kazuya retorted.

Jun waved her hand dismissively. "Fine, whatever!"

"Hey, y'all coming?!" Koromon shouted, growing a bit impatient. "We're nearly there!"

"Sho-chan!" Before they could leave, a familiar voice rang out, knocking Sho to the ground.

"Labramon's back." Sho said flatly, spitting out a bit of dirt.

"Sorry I'm so late, but the food was so good I had to have it all!" Labramon exclaimed. Everyone looked at Labramon's belly. It had a visible bulge, but no where as big as when she had her pig-out in Driver City.

"I suppose Betamon and Gizamon were shocked at your appetite?" DemiDevimon replied.

"Oh no. They actually said it was good I had a big appetite and Gizamon was glad I enjoyed her cooking!" Labramon replied happily.

Everyone looked at Labramon. They were actually surprised that someone responded to Labramon's appetite enthusiastically.

"Hey, come on, hurry up!" Koromon cried, impatiently.

Everyone hurried up following the impatient In-Training digimon. Soon, they stopped near a body of water. Trees protruded from the water. Moss was attached to their branches.

"Well here we are!" Koromon said, excitedly. Koromon then gave a whistle. Soon, a fast buzzing could be heard, as a figure descended from the trees. The Digimon that had appeared before them looked like a yellow two winged insect. It had green eyes and its mandible filled mouth hung open.

"I like y'all ta meet Yanmamon. He's our ride." Said Koromon. Koromon then leapt behind some bushes and pulled out two sturdy looking sticks. Two vines were connected vertically to the sticks. "And these are what we ride with." Said Koromon.

"Some bug is supposed to pull?" Jun asked. Koromon nodded.

"Don't we need skis?" Asked Sho.

"Nah, you guys could probably use your feet." Koromon replied. "I'll show ya." Yanmamon grabbed one branch in his mouth while Koromon grabbed the other in his. He hopped in the water and Yanmamon immediately took off flying. Koromon sped through the water. He clenched his teeth tightly on the branch, an excited expression adorning his face. After few runs, Yanmamon headed toward the shore.

"So ya wanna try?" Said Koromon, bouncing onto shore.

"Count me out." Jun immediately replied. "In fact I want to be alone. Know a place?" Jun asked.

"Well, there's a lagoon over there." Koromon said, pointing beyond the bushes. Without a word Jun left.

"Jun wait!" Penguinmon cried, running after her.

"I think something is wrong with her." Said Sakura.

"Something is always wrong with her." Said Kazuya.

"Ahem!" Koromon grabbed their attention. "So who wants ta try?" He asked.

"I think I'll give it a go." Gazimon said, stepping up. Gazimon grabbed a hold of the branch.

"I really think you should be using skis." Sakura warned.

"Firstly, I don't know what skis are, and secondly Koromon just said to use your feet." Said Gazimon. "I think I can handle that." He said, giving a cocky smile.

Gazimon gave a nod giving Yanmamon the cue to go. The insect digimon sped off, and as he did, Gazimon's cocky look changed to fear. Gazimon bounced and turned in the water as Yanmamon flew.

"Stop glubslow down." Said Gazimon, as he was partially submerged in the water. He continued to bounce on the water's surface when he finally let go. He bounced a bit before he slammed face first into a tree. He fell back with a splash.

"Gazimon!" Kazuya cried.

Gazimon rose to the surface, quickly swimming to a tree root. "I'm okay!" Gazimon said, rather dazed.

"Okay. Who's next?" Koromon asked.

Everyone took a few steps backwards. Well, everyone except Kazuya. "I'll go." Said Kazuya. He took of his jacket, shirt, shoes and socks.

"Kazuya, I think it would be safer if you had some sort of skiing equipment." Sho warned.

"Don't worry about me. Gazimon was fine." Kazuya replied, rolling up his pants legs. Kazuya pulled down his goggles over his eyes, grabbing hold of the branch as Yanmamon flew back. With an affirmative nod, Yanmamon flew off.

"Yahoo!" Kazuya cried as he sped through the water. Although he had some trouble at first, he managed to get in a good position with his feet. He was actually doing a bit better than Gazimon. As he watched this, Gazimon gave a jealous grunt. Soon however, Kazuya began to stagger and he fell face first into the water. Moments later he resurfaced with a breath of air.

"Man, that was awesome!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"Is he always like this?" Fairydramon asked.

"More or less." Sakura replied.

XXX

Jun scoffed as she heard Kazuya's loud yell from afar. How anyone could enjoy skiing in a swamp was beyond her. She dangled her feet in the lagoon. Her toes getting wet as she did. Then she felt something brush up against her toes. With that she quickly took them out. She just had to get away when they were talking about families.

"Family is a joke." Jun said to herself.

"Why is that?" a familiar voice asked.

Jun turned to see Penguinmon standing next to her. "What are you doing here?" Asked Jun.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay." Penguinmon replied.

Look, I'm not some helpless little girl that you need to defend all the time!" Jun replied angrily. "I can take care of myself!"

"But I'm your digimon, so I have to protect you." Penguinmon said, innocently.

Jun couldn't understand how Penguinmon could just keep coming back to her. She had made it clear that she thought he was a wimp. It just didn't make sense to her.

"Kiiiii!" A loud cry filled the area. It sounded almost like a monkey. In a flash, something leapt from nowhere grabbing Jun's beret. The figure then leapt into a nearby tree branch. The figure turned in the direction of Jun and Penguinmon.

"That thing has my beret!" Jun said, noticing her beret was missing.

The beret thief appeared to be some sort of tall monkey digimon. It was dressed in a green loincloth. A large boomerang was strapped to its back and it wore a blue and red mask with wild green hair sticking out. It bore a resemblance to a Zuni fetish mask. It immediately began to dance around waving Jun's beret in the air and shaking its butt.

"Hey you freak, give that back!" Jun shouted.

"Kii come and get it yourself Kii Kii!" The strange digimon said. The mouth area on the mask opening up as if it were a real mouth.

Jun ran towards the tree and tried her best to climb up it. She seemed to be having some trouble, but she only lost her footing once.

"Jun be careful!" Penguinmon warned.

"I'm fine. Just stay there!" Jun commanded. Jun managed to scale the tree, climbing onto the branch. She faced the strange digimon with an angry look on her face.

"Like I said before, give it back!" Jun commanded.

The monkey digimon then began to do a strange dance. It shook its butt and waved its arms, before standing on it's free hand. Jun had a confused, but still angry look on her face.

"I am Sepikmon, a messenger of love and understanding I am Kii!" Said Sepikmon.

"Ooookay. I didn't ask for your name just wanted my beret back." Said Jun. "So give it back before I kick your ass two ways down the swamp."

"You are a soul who masks her true feelings." Said Sepikmon. "Instead of sharing it with the world." Sepikmon resumed his strange dance. "I am here to expose those feelings."

"What feelings? I'm not hiding anything!" Jun spat.

"Lies will get you nowhere." Said Sepikmon.

Sepikmon then pulled a small blue bottle out of his loincloth. He opened the bottle with his mouth and tossed the contents straight at Jun. She yelped as it hit her eyes.

"Jun!" Penguinmon shouted on concern. "What have you done to her?" Penguinmon demanded.

"She will soon open up." Said Sepikmon.

"I won't let you hurt her!" Proclaimed Penguinmon, preparing an ice prism. The icicle shard shot at Sepikmon who simply shattered it with his boomerang.

"You shall not disturb the awakening Kii!" Sepikmon shouted, jumping down. Sepikmon immediately threw his boomerang at Penguinmon. Penguinmon slid down. He rose when he noticed the boomerang didn't hit him but fell back when it came back and hit him in the head. Above, Jun was not aware of the battle. The powder that was in her eyes worked their effects as old memories began to resurface.

XXX

_Before her, Jun saw a familiar image, an elementary school. Jun assumed it was about lunchtime as kids ran about outside, eating, or hanging out with their friends. One child caught her attention. Judging from the child's age, she appeared to be in fourth grade. What made the child seem familiar, was the short blue hair and the maroon colored beret._

"_That's me." Jun finally realized._

_Jun watched her younger self walk over to a group of girls. Jun recognized them. Back then those were the popular girls. Jun grimaced as she remembered that she wanted to be one of them._

"_Um, excuse me." Jun's younger self asked in a timid voice. The popular girls looked at the newcomer with pure disdain._

"_Do you mind if I sat with you?" The younger Jun asked. The older Jun simply mouthed what her younger self was saying._

_One of the girls sat up with her hands on her hips. "Sorry but this space is reserved." The girl responded. "We don't allow trash near us." The girls laughed in unison. Jun bawled up her fists but she walked away. She bit her lip trying to fight back tears._

"_Oh I think the trash girl is going to cry." Jun heard them mock. "Why don't you run home to your tramp mother?" The girls continued to laugh._

_The older Jun scoffed. "They were a bunch of snobs any way." She spat. Still Jun remembered that moment and it still hurt. Jun remembered that she was rather a lonely child. She found it hard to talk to people. Her home life was not that great either. Her mother was an alcoholic. Not an abusive one, but still an alcoholic. Also her mother was not as we say, pure._

_The view then changed to inside a classroom. Jun saw her younger self sitting at the very back doodling one of the popular girls falling into a pit. Then the voice of the teacher made her stop with her drawing._

"_Class we have a new student joining us today." The teacher spoke._

_A skinny kid with black hair stepped through the doorway into the classroom. The boy was dressed in a nice looking suit. Jun noticed the boy's dark colored skin hinting that there was more than Japanese in this boy's heritage._

"_H-hello my name is Sho Sanbara and my family just moved here from Egypt." The boy said with a bow._

_Jun gave a small laugh. "Sanbara was a skinny wimp then." She said. "But I remember I thought he was cute." Jun was right as she watched her younger self look at the younger Sho with a bit of a blush._

_The image then changed to the lunch area. As usual Jun was sitting by herself._

"_Excuse me? A voice asked._

_Jun looked up to see Sho looking down at her._

"_You're in my class right?" The younger Sho asked._

"_Yes." The younger Jun responded._

"_Well, do you mind if I sat with you?" The younger Sho asked. Jun nodded affirmatively. As Sho began to eat his lunch Jun gave a small blush._

"_Oh look, the trash girl is blushing!" Jun looked to see the popular girls looking at her. "Better be careful you might catch fleas from her!" One of the girls jeered. Jun began to ball up her fists, biting her lip._

"_Well enjoy lunch with your boyfriend!" The lead girl jeered. The girls began to laugh cruelly. Jun continued to ball up her fists, fighting back the tears. But she was tired of crying. She wanted to do something._

"_He is not my boyfriend and I'll show you!" Jun yelled, getting up. She looked at Sho with an angry look. Sho reeled back in fear as Jun reached down behind him and grabbed him. Everyone looked on as Sho's scream filled the area. Jun had just given Sho the wedgie of a lifetime._

_More images flashed by Jun. She watched herself over the years as her reputation as a bully started. Whenever someone made fun of her she would make them pay. She saw how she got back at the poplar girls, whether it be giving them a swirlie, beating them up or cutting off some of their hair with scissors. Sho was a particular favorite of hers. Whenever she felt pissed off or wanted some fun, Jun would pick on him. Then the images stopped at another moment._

"_You can't do this!" Jun watched her vision shout. The image was now set in some trashy looking house. Various beer bottles law strewn about. The now fifteen year old Jun stood up near a table. At the other end stood an older looking version of her chugging a beer._

"_Look Jun, you're going to summer camp and that's final!" Jun's mother said, putting down the now empty beer bottle._

"_I have better things to do than spend all summer in some dinky cabin!" Jun retorted._

"_Look, you're my daughter and whatever I say goes." Said her mother._

_Jun then turned to leave. "Where are you going?" her mother asked._

"_Out." Was all Jun replied. Eventually her mother made her go to summer camp. It wasn't a total bust though, as Sho was there. She could take all her anger out towards him and besides, he was fun to pick on. But it was also at that camp where she met Kazuya, Chiisi, and Sakura. Although the only time they "hung out", was when Kazuya was defending Sho, they were really the only people she interacted with at that camp._

_Then the digivices came and Jun remembered how she was thrust into the Digital World. As they fought all those battles and overcame all those challenges, Jun had to admit, the group had grown on her, even Sho. Then another thought entered her mind._

"_Penguinmon." She said to herself. Jun remembered when she first met Penguinmon. At first she was freaked at seeing a talking penguin say that they were partners. But her fear subsided when she quickly found out that Penguinmon was a cowardly wimp. Still no matter how cruel she was to him, Penguinmon never left her side. Even when he was scared he would always defend her. Jun couldn't hide it anymore, Penguinmon had grown on her as well._

XXX

Jun's eyes snapped back to the real world. She looked around and saw that she was back in the tree. The sounds of fighting were below her. She looked to see Penguinmon and Sepikmon fighting. Sepikmon was clearly dominating Penguinmon. By now Sepikmon had Penguinmon pinned by his foot. Penguinmon feebly wriggled around trying to escape and slap at his opponent.

Jun immediately climbed down the tree running up to Sepikmon.

"Get your stinking foot off Penguinmon!" Jun yelled.

Sepikmon fell back as Jun delivered a hard punch to the back of his head. Sepikmon fell to the ground, quickly rising albeit dizzily.

"Jun?" Penguinmon questioned.

"Penguinmon is my digimon and no one lays a hand on him, got it!? Jun proclaimed.

Sepikmon looked at Jun. Jun balled her fists expecting a fight. However Sepikmon put away his boomerang and threw Jun back her hat.

"My work is done." Said Sepikmon.

"What?" Asked Jun.

"Like I said, I am a messenger of love and understanding Kii!" Said Sepikmon.

"I comb through this swamp finding anyone who holds their feelings inside them, never releasing them Kii!" Sepikmon proclaimed. "SO I make it my job to bring them out Kii!"

"So your just some weirdo that lives here throwing some strange dust in their eyes to open up their feelings?" Jun asked.

Sepikmon merely nodded. He was then sent flying with a hard punch to the face by Jun.

"Next time you do that I'll kick your ass twice as hard!" Jun shouted.

Jun turned to Penguinmon, her anger being replaced with concern.

"Are you okay, Jun?" Penguinmon instinctively asked.

"I could ask you the same question." Replied Jun.

Penguinmon's eyes widened in surprise as Jun helped him up, dusting him off.

"So, you alright?" Jun asked again.

"Yeah, but he still hurt." Penguinmon replied.

"Well I don't know how long I was out, but the fact you survived impressed me." Jun admitted. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Jun." Said Penguinmon.

A bright green flash erupted from the lagoon. A green ball rose out of the water. As it came to her, Jun looked at it. Inscribed in the ball, she could make out the symbol of a teardrop. Jun immediately knew it was her digicore as it disappeared into her body.

"Sincerity." Escaped from Jun's lips.

XXX

Jun and Penguinmon rejoined the group shortly after their little encounter. She happily informed them that she had found her digicore. Eveyone was surprised to find her in such good spirits. They returned to Betamon and his family's abode to bid farewell.

You sure you folk can't stay?" Betamon asked.

"Thanks, but we have to go." Kazuya replied. His pants had been steam dried, thanks to Fairydramon and her hot breath.

Gazimon had been dried as well. Although, a remark about steam drying with her cute little nostrils had earned him a full blast of hot air. He was now trying to smooth out his poofed out fur. He resembled a big grey fuzz ball. Saying their goodbyes, the group departed.

"Ya know they were nice." Gizamon responded.

"Yeah, but they stank at skiing." Said Koromon.

The digidestined followed Betamon's advice on staying on the main path.

"Um Sanbara?" Jun asked.

"Yes?" He responded.

"Well it's just, I wanted to apologize for that wedgie I gave you in fourth grade." Said Jun.

Sho and everyone else was taken aback. They hadn't expected that from Jun. Sho particularly didn't expect her to bring up something from so long ago.

"Um it's okay." Said Sho.

Jun gave a small smile and turned forward. Kazuya then knelt close to Sho.

"Wedgie?" He questioned.

Meanwhile far away, a figure watched the group depart. He had not expected a punch to the face, but he decided not to retaliate. With a loud cry of "Kiiiii!" Sepikmon disappeared deep into the swamp.

XXX

The Blimpmon sped through the air. Inside, SkullMeramon tapped his fingers impatiently on his chair. Impmon was busy bossing around the Goblimon at the controls. It annoyed him that the little digimon was acting like his second in command. But he put his murderous thoughts aside. He could always kill him later.

His impatient finger tapping came to a halt, as the Goblimon announced that they were approaching his base. SkullMeramon gave a sadistic grin. Once he found those rebels, he could put his plan into action.

To be continued….


	18. Chapter 18

The Blimpmon slowed down its speed as it made its dissension. In front of it lay the base of SkullMeramon. The base itself was a large metal tower sticking out of a domed building. A large gated ring surrounded it making sure that no one could easily enter. Painted on the sides of the tower and dome were orange and blue colored flames showing SkullMeramon's tastes.

As the Blimpmon descended, a small section of the dome opened up revealing a hangar. The Blimpmon disappeared into the opening while the dome section closed as it did. Inside the hangar, several Goblimon signaled the Blimpmon to land. When it did, they all assembled in lined rows.

The Blimpmon's door opened up. The Goblimon saluted as SkullMeramon stepped out followed by Impmon. SkullMeramon simply walked past them.

"Man, ya sure got their respect, boss." Said Impmon.

"All of it is fear really, and I like it that way." SkullMeramon replied. "And I'm not your boss yet."

The two stepped out into the hallway. A few Goblimon were seen around the halls. As soon as they saw SkullMeramon, they backed away in fear and pretended that they were doing something. SkullMeramon loved it when they showed fear towards him. Ahead he spied two Goblimon in a conversation.

"Man, I have to tell you, I love it when SkullMeramon's not around." One of the Goblimon began.

"Yeah I know. He's a real jerk." The other Goblimon said.

"I feel like I can actually relax, you know?" The Goblimon asked his friend.

The Goblimon was about to respond when his face immediately showed fear.

"What's wrong?" The Goblimon asked.

He turned around and looked up to see the angry face of SkullMeramon. The next thing the Goblimon knew, he was set ablaze. He screamed in pain, but thankfully the excruciating pain was quickly over as he soon deleted.

The remaining Goblimon looked up in fear of his boss.

"You have anything to say?" SkullMeramon asked.

The Goblimon shook his head and ran off. Impmon felt a little nervous at seeing that brutality.

"What's wrong? You act like you've never seen someone die." Said SkullMeramon. "Besides, they know my workers policy." SkullMeramon pointed to a plaque on the wall.

In bold letters, it simply stated, "**Work or I'll kill you!**"

Impmon gulped. "With dat kind of policy who wouldn't work?" Impmon stated.

The pair continued to walk until they reached a door. It slid open revealing a large computer room. Several Goblimon sat at various controls typing away. Some knew what they were doing while others simply copied what their associates were doing. SkullMeramon went up to one Goblimon and shoved him out of his chair.

"Alright, get to work!" SkullMeramon commanded Impmon.

"What?" Impmon asked in confusion.

"Find the signals those rebels have." Said SkullMeramon. "None of these useless Goblimon have been able to track them."

"Well why'd ya higher dem?" Impmon asked.

SkullMeramon groaned. "Their cheap and expendable." SkullMeramon stated. "Now get to work!" He commanded.

Impmon immediately sat down and began typing away trying to break any code and find any signals. He had a feeling that his life depended on it.

XXX

The swamp seemed to stretch continuously. However, the deep wetness of before had started to disappear. The digidestined felt that they were nearing the end. So far, everyone was in a good mood. Gazimon however was still trying to smooth out his poofed out fur.

"Come on, smooth!" Gazimon complained. He had managed to smooth out his body fur and tail. However, the fur on the top of his head was still sticking out. He tried licking his paw and smoothing out his head, but it kept popping up.

"Well that's what you get for being such a pervert." Said Kazuya.

"I just told Fairydramon she had cute little nostrils. How is that being a pervert?" Asked Gazimon.

"You scratched me under my chin." Said Fairydramon.

Gazimon gave a weak laugh. "Well that was part of the compliment." He said.

"Perversion is perversion no matter how much you try to sugarcoat it." Fairydramon said flatly.

Chiisi then looked up towards a nearby tree. It was as if he felt something.

"What's wrong Chiisi?" Sakura asked.

Chiisi turned towards his cousin then quickly turned away shaking his head. "Nothing. It felt like something was watching us, that's all." He replied.

"Relax. I'm sure if there is something watching us we can handle it." Said Jun.

"Well if it's not too scary." Added Penguinmon. Jun rolled her eyes at that.

"Jeez, Jun sure has acted weird since she got her digicore.." Kazuya whispered to Sho.

"Tell me about it. At least Penguinmon is acting normal." Replied Sho.

"You guys say something?" Jun asked, showing off her clenched fist.

Kazuya and Sho backed away, putting up their arms. "Now she's back to normal." Whispered Kazuya.

Unbeknownst to them however, Chiisi was right. They had failed to notice the small camera watching them.

XXX

"Hmm so that's them?" a figure questioned looking at the computer screen.

The figure itself almost looked like a bulb with arms and legs. Inside the cracked glass were various computer parts. It had a mouth filled with sharp teeth. One eye was mechanical while the other was organic.

The cyborg digimon turned around as he floated in midair. "Hey Prairiemon!" He called.

"Yes? I'm here, Datamon sir." A female voice replied. The tapping of claws could be heard on the metal floor. A prairie dog looking digimon stepped into the room. In place of claws were large metal gauntlets. Her long ears were shaped like blades. Prariemon looked around with an uncomfortable look on her face.

"What's wrong with you now?" Datamon asked.

"I keep telling you, it's strange being the only organic digimon here." Complained Prariemon. "Why does this place only have to have machine digimon?"

"We're with machines and networking, that's why." Datamon replied. "So stop complaining."

"I am not complaining!" Prariemon replied.

"Oh please! From the moment I hired you all you've done is complain." Said Datamon. "No wonder that Bokomon fired you from your last job."

"I was not fired, I quit!" Prariemon exclaimed.

Prariemon thumped her tail angrily and crossed her arms. "That Bokomon was an annoying know it all and I couldn't stand that perfectionist." She complained angrily. "It was always, don't put that book there or, you didn't dust that perfectly!"

"Alright, alright I get it." Datamon said, waving his hand in a dismissive motion. "Besides, it's not like you haven't done a good job as my assistant."

Prariemon gave a smug smile at that praise. "Well, at least I get recognition here." She said.

"Now that we're done with that business, take a look at this." Datamon said tapping the keyboard. The computer monitor went through several pictures until it stopped at one in particular. That picture was of some earlier surveillance in the swamp.

"Are those?" Prariemon began.

"Yep humans." Datamon conformed.

"Well, what are humans doing in the Digital World?" Prariemon inquired.

"Well, I take it those are the digidestined I've heard about." Said Datamon.

"Digiwhat?" Prariemon asked.

"It's not surprising you haven't heard of them. Only a select few are aware of the legend." Said Datamon

Prariemon raised an eyebrow. "Legend? You have to be kidding me." Said Prariemon.

"I am not a kidder. Those kids are apparently the hope of the Digital World." Said Datamon.

"What does that make us?" Asked Prariemon.

"Anyway, I think those humans could be of great help to us." Said Datamon. "Bring them here."

Prariemon sighed and turned to leave. Before she could leave however, Datamon stopped her.

"Before you go, could you get me some coffee?" Datamon asked.

"Coffee? Aren't you a robot?" Prariemon asked.

Datamon pointed to his organic eye and said, "Technically I'm a cyborg. Now hop to it." Datamon said, waving his arm in that dismissive manner. Prariemon hmmphed as she started to leave.

"Oh, and make sure to make their entrance interesting." Datamon added.

XXX

"Say, I wonder who's going to get their digicore next?" Asked Sakura.

Kazuya looked at his friend and began to wonder himself. "Hmm I don't know." Kazuya replied.

"Well logically, you or Kazuya will probably receive yours next." Chiisi suddenly spoke up.

Everyone began to wonder, who would receive theirs next? Logically Kazuya or Sakura would receive their digicores. But they remembered they were told that they would each have two digicores.

"Well if you and I do get our digicores, I wonder how they're going to show up?" Kazuya asked Sakura.

"I know. They just show up." Sakura confirmed.

"I think there's more to it than that." Said Chiisi. "If you noticed, we all showed a different emotion when ours appeared."

A thought of realization came to Sho. "Oh yeah, you're right." Said Sho. When Labramon saved me from Gesomon, I felt like we were really friends."

"So you're saying we have to feel like the trait our digicore shows?" Jun asked. Chiisi simply nodded in response.

"Okay answer me this. If that's the case, then how come our digimon didn't evolve?" Jun asked.

Chiisi shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we have to show an overwhelming demonstration of that trait." Chiisi suggested.

While they were talking, Labramon began sniffing the ground. A new smell had entered her nostrils.

"What do you smell Labramon?" Asked Sho.

Labramon continued to sniff the ground. She came to a stop at a certain part of the path. "This part smells different." Said Labramon. She then began to paw at the ground.

"It looks normal to me, mutt." Said Jun.

Labramon glared at Jun. "Well, if your nose was as sensitive as mind then you could tell that there was something different about that part."

Sho walked up to the part of the path that Labramon was sniffing and pawing. He felt it and then felt another patch of land.

"Hey guys she's right. This patch of land does feel different." Said Sho.

Labramon gave Jun a smug smile. Jun glared at her and said, "You're still a mutt."

"Poopy head." Labramon said, under her breath.

Everyone joined Sho at the patch of land. They stared at the ground before them. That is when it opened up right beneath their feet. Everyone screamed as they were sent tumbling down. The ground then closed up, leaving no trace that the group was there. Everyone slid down, screaming all the way. The sliding soon stopped with everyone piled on top of each other.

"This is the second time this has happened." Said Kazuya.

"Only this time there is no mattress." Sho moaned.

"I'm not complaining." Said Gazimon.

Sakura felt something behind her and craned her head. She eeped when she saw Gazimon had a front row view of her behind.

"Get away!" Sakura screamed, kicking Gazimon away. He tumbled down from the pile, hitting the ground hard.

"Sorry Gazimon!" Sakura apologized.

"You're apologizing to him?" Fairydramon asked flatly.

The tapping of claws against metal alerted the dog-piled group. Prariemon stared at them "I didn't think that idea would work." Said Prariemon.

"You were the one who did this?" Jun asked, angrily.

"Um well..." Prairemon began. But she never had a chance to finish her sentence. The five rookie digimon managed to get out of the pile and now stared angrily at Prariemon.

"Attacking the kids was a bad move lady." Said DemiDevimon.

Prariemon backed away putting her gauntlet claws up. "Look I'm not really the violent type." She pleaded.

Her pleas however were unheard as the five digimon lunged at her. Prariemon collapsed to the floor as the digimon hung on to her legs and arms. Her screams of protest mixed with the digimon's cries of attack.

"Digital Bomb." Several small bombs exploded near the fighting causing everyone to stop. Taking advantage of that moment, Prariemon escaped form her attacker's grasp and ran over to her boss.

"You people are insane!" She shouted.

"Well you tried to trap us!" Labramon shouted.

"I did not! I was only doing what he told me!" Prariemon said, pointing to Datamon.

Noticing the digimon had death glares in their eyes, Datamon put up his hand. "Before you start pounding on me I should let you know that I am an Ultimate level digimon and you are Rookies." Said Datamon. "So you would know how this fight would play out."

The five rookies backed down. Their human partners joined them, a bit suspicious of this newcomer.

"Okay, so why did you bring us here?" Kazuya asked boldly.

"Firstly, I am not your enemy. Secondly, I know you are the digidestined. And thirdly, I think we could use your help." Said Datamon.

Datamon turned around, motioning his hand for them to follow him. "If you want to know more follow me." He said. Prariemon followed her boss with a huff. The Digidestined and their digimon decided to follow them. They walked along a metal passageway until they reached a door. It slid open and they all entered.

Before them, several mechanical digimon were running about doing various tasks. Some of them looked like floating gears while others looked like robot beetles. The gear digimon stood near computers or other pieces of strange electrical equipment looking things over while the bugs carried pieces of machinery around while charging electrical sockets with the plugs that extended from their bodies.

"What are those?" Asked Sakura.

Datamon then composed himself and looked as if he was going to say something.

"Oh not this again." Prariemon complained.

"The gears are Hagurumon, Rookie Level, Virus Attribute, Machine Type, Attacks are Cog Crusher, Drag, and Command Input." Datamon recited. "The bugs are Kokuwamon, Rookie Level, Data Attribute, Machine Type, Attacks are Mini Scissors Claw, and Power Surge."

Datamon was about to continue further when Prariemon stopped him. "He's Datamon and Ultimate level and I am Prariemon an Armor level." Said Prariemon. "You don't have to go into an explanation like that."

"She has a point. You haven't told us why you brought us here." Said Jun.

"Very well." Said Datamon. He composed himself again before he started to speak.

"My group here is a part of a network of rebels that are trying to reclaim the Digital World." Said Datamon.

"Digimon rebels?" Kazuya said in surprise.

"That's what I said." Said Datamon. "I heard about some human children that would come and save this world and I wanted to help them when I met them."

"Did someone name Maya tell you about us?" Sakura asked.

"Nope. I found out the legend by myself. Mostly only higher digimon are in on it, but some know the legend predicted long ago." Datamon replied.

"Wait. We were predicted?" Jun asked.

Datamon rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I just said that." He replied.

Prariemon tapped her tail sharply on the floor. "Sir, may we speed this up? You said you needed these human's help." She said in annoyance.

Datamon gave another dismissive motion with his hand and then motioned the group to follow him. Datamon led them down another hallway. Heading straight they entered a room where some Kokuwamon and Hagurumon were seen working. The room had the same silver metallic theme as the other rooms. In the center was a large table where some Kokuwamon were looking over five objects. One of the Kokuwamon turned towards Datamon. The eyes of the Kokuwamon shone with pride.

"Oh, Datamon sir, we finished the devices!" The Kokuwamon said excitedly.

Datamon gave an affirmative nod as if he was saying "good job." Datamon picked up the devices, and turned around, presenting them to the kids.

"I made these just in case I met the Digidestined." Said Datamon. In Datamon's hands were five silver colored objects. The bottom parts of the devices were shaped almost like a gun handle while the screens at the top were square shaped. Just below the screen were two small, round, black buttons.

"What are these?" Kazuya asked.

"Point it at your Gazimon and find out." Said Datamon.

Kazuya pointed the device at Gazimon. Instinctually, he pushed the button on the left side. The screen glowed for a brief moment and a transparent image of Gazimon shot out of the device. Underneath the image were a few words.

Digimon: Gazimon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Virus

Type: Mammal

Attacks: Electric Stun Blast, Pitfall

"Cool! It's like a Digimon analyzer or something!" Kazuya said excitedly.

"Hmm Digimon Analyzer. Never thought of naming it that, but glad you like it." Said Datamon.

Kazuya was full of giddy excitement. He began flashing the Digimon Analyzer around at the other digimon in the room, looking at their information.

Digimon: Labramon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Beast

Attacks: Retrieve Bark, Cure Liquor

Digimon: Penguinmon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Bird

Attacks: Eternal Slapping, Ice Prism

Digimon: DemiDevimon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Virus

Type: Small Demon

Attacks: Demi Dart, Evil Whisper

Digimon: Fairydramon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Data

Type: Dragon

Attacks: Fairy Flame, Fairy Slash

"Say what do these attributes mean?" Kazuya asked.

"Well Digimon are divided into three attributes Virus, Vaccine, and Data." Datamon began. "Vaccine and Data types are usually good while Virus types are usually evil."

"Hey!" Gazimon said, insulted.

"Well there are exceptions." Said Datamon.

"Hey, I'm not insulted." Said DemiDevimon.

Kazuya was still in his digimon identifying mood and flashed the analyzer at Prariemon.

Digimon: Prariemon

Level: Armor

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Beast

Attacks: Hare's Ear, Dimension Hole

"Armor level?" Kazuya said questionably.

"Yeah. I remember you said you were an armor level digimon." Said Sakura. "What is that?"

"Well, an armor level digimon is a digimon that has evolved with a digimental." Prariemon explained. "Normally I would be considered a Champion level digimon but since I used a digimental, I am an Armor level."

"You know someone mentioned digimentals but we don't know anything other than the name." Said Chiisi.

Datamon took a step forward. His eyes were narrowed with a mixture of seriousness and disgust.

"Digimentals are nothing but cheap little items that you find in the ground and are a cheap way of evolving." Said Datamon.

Prariemon shot an angry look towards her boss. "Just because some digmon don't like to fight like brutes to evolve doesn't make using digimentals cheap!" Prariemon spat.

"Whatever." Said Datamon, giving his usual dismissive hand motion.

Prariemon's face twisted in annoyance as she gave an exasperated sigh. "Sir, maybe we should be moving on?" Prariemon suggested. "After all, our job was trying to stop some crazed pyromaniac."

"Do you mean SkullMeramon?" Asked Sakura.

Datamon nodded affirmatively. "I take it you have encountered him?" Asked Datamon.

"Yeah. That jerks been hounding us for days." Said Jun.

"Well I think we are all in the same boat. Follow me." Said Datamon.

Datamon then began to lead the group yet again through another corridor.

"Yet again, redundancy is rearing its ugly head." Said Chiisi.

XXX

Cries of pain echoed throughout the halls. Duskmon however was unaffected by them. He trekked his way towards the source of the noise. He finally reached an open doorway. Bright lights emanated out of the doorway and the screams grew all the more loud. Duskmon didn't even blink as he stepped inside.

The room looked like a traditional mad scientist's laboratory. Beakers and tubes filled with strange liquid bubbled and flowed and various tools of questionable purpose dotted the room.

Duskmon glanced at a nearby table. Several plans for various experiments covered it. The plans were sprawled all over the table in a messy fashion. Despite that, the messy piles had been arranged in two sections. One section was for completed experiments, while the other had plans for building various inventions.

Duskmon briefly looked at them. Some of the experiment plans looked promising while others could be described as immoral.

One plan in particular proposed the possibility of merging a Kimeramon with a Machinedramon.

"He's crazier than I thought." Duskmon said to himself. A loud scream filled the area followed by silence.

"Another failure." A deep voice said.

Duskmon followed the direction of the voice. Slumped over an operating table stood Cherubimon. His hand pounded the table in frustration.

"Failed experiment?" Duskmon inquired.

Cherubimon turned in surprise. "Duskmon?" He said. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just wondering if you had any new ideas." Replied Duskmon.

Cherubimon growled in annoyance. "My latest experiment was a complete failure. But I have others."

Cherubimon put a hand to his chest. He pushed down and an object moved up his throat. A small black virus escaped Cherubimon's lips. Cherubimon played with it a bit, moving his hand around and the virus followed it.

"Lately I have been trying to alter the viruses." Said Cherubimon.

"Alter them?" Asked Duskmon.

Cherubimon nodded. "Yes. Powerful they may be but they do have their flaws." Said Cherubimon.

Purple electricity flowed from Cherubimon hands as it flowed within the virus. The virus began to alter and fluctuate.

"The viruses merge with their hosts and the usual way of removing them is by killing the hosts." Cherubimon began. "But if I can alter their form into something else, then perhaps we wouldn't have to wait for those victims to be reborn."

"Well that actually sounds brilliant." Duskmon commented.

"Yes, but that's just one experiment. I have many more." Said Cherubimon. "Recently I allowed SkullMeramon to build one of my designs."

Duskmon raised his right eye. "Are you sure that was wise?" He asked.

"Demon selected him and he is one of our most valuable soldiers." Cherubimon replied.

Duskmon then turned and began to walk away. "Don't put so much faith in Demon, he may not share our ideals." Duskmon said.

Duskmon decided to keep Demon's earlier meeting with Dagomon to himself for now. Like Lilithmon and Cherubimon, he followed his master's will.

Cherubimon continued to alter the virus into various shapes. Although he was dissatisfied with most of them, one shape did catch his interest.

"Ahh this could have possibilities." Cherubimon said to himself. The shape in question was that of a gear.

XXX

The room Datamon had led the group to was the most impressive they had seen yet. Throughout the room, Kokuwamon and Hagurumon were busy with work. Computers filled the room, and a digimon was seated at every one. An adjoining room lay from a pathway ahead. Several digimon entered and exited. In the back of the room, a large computer screen lay on the wall. A console and chair were below it.

"Now let's get this show started." Said Datamon. Tapping a few keys, the screen went through various screenshots.

"Now where was it?" Datamon inquired to himself.

The pictures continued to flash by until it stopped at a particularly embarrassing picture of Prariemon. The contents of the picture were that of a tipsy looking Prariemon with a lampshade on her head.

"I thought you deleted that!" Prariemon exclaimed.

"Well I guess I didn't." Datamon said sheepishly.

The other destined digimon looked at Prariemon questionably. Prariemon's face flushed.

"It was an office party so everyone was a bit crazy." Said Prariemon.

"Hey, don't worry. Her and I have been there." Said Gazimon, pointing to Labramon.

"Yeah. I'm never ever going to do something like that again." Labramon added.

Datamon hit the delete key, erasing the picture and continued his search for the correct image. "Aha! Found it!" Exclaimed Datamon.

The screen now displayed a large metal spire. They colors of the spire was blue with flames painted on it showing whom it belonged to.

"Recently SkullMeramon has been building these objects throughout the continent of Folder." Datamon began. "We don't know what they are but a large energy reading could be traced to them."

"Energy reading?" Sakura questioned.

"Yes. It almost feels like its storing energy to prepare for something." Said Datamon. "But we continuously scan them to see if there are any new developments."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Asked Fairydramon, crossing her arms.

"Relax dragon girl. He only employs Goblimon and they're dumb as bricks." Said Datamon. "None of them are good enough to trace us."

Fairydramon snorted a small puff of smoke from her nostrils in annoyance at the "dragon girl" comment. Frankly, she was starting to find Datamon a bit cocky. However, she had to admit he was brilliant and rather confident in himself.

XXX

The stress in Impmon's head was increasing. He had been typing away trying to look for a signal. He sweated as SkullMeramon bore down on him. The sweat was both from fear and heat. He was about to give up when something caught his eye.

"Hey, I think I got something!" Impmon said, excitedly. Impmon began to type frivolously on the keyboard.

"Got to hand it to em. Whoeva made dis code is an expert." Said Impmon. A few more taps and Impmon soon sat back with a smug triumphant look on his face.

"Done." Impmon said, simply.

SkullMeramon grinned. "Trace it!" he commanded. The Goblimon began to type at their keyboards. A loud beep filled the room as the location of the rebel base was traced.

"Send them the surprise." SkullMeramon commanded.

One of the Goblimon pressed a button. "Sent sir!" Said the Goblimon.

"Excellent! Prepare the Blimpmon! I have some guests to go entertain." SkullMeramon commanded.

As SkullMeramon left, Impmon breathed a sigh of relief. He was beginning to wonder if he was getting in over his head. Nevertheless, he was willing to take risks to be on top.

XXX

Finally, he was free. He had no idea how long he was cooped up but he had long since forgotten. Before him stood a treasure trove of data, the most he had seen in his life. Giggling to himself, he decided it was time to do what his species of digimon did best, mess it up.

XXX

The lights in the room suddenly began to dim. Concerned murmurs erupted as the computer screens began to show static.

"W-what's going on?" Penguinmon asked in fear. He grabbed hold of Jun's leg, putting his face into it.

"Well it finally happened. We got a virus." Exclaimed Prariemon. "I told you continuously scanning those things was a bad idea!"

"Now, now, relax. We can fix this." Said Datamon. "Everyone follow me." Everyone did as they were told and followed Datamon into the adjoining room. The content of the room before them was a large generator like object connected to some sort of pod. Connected to the pod was a console.

"Using this device of my own genius, we can digitize anyone into our network." Said Datamon.

"Well I'm willing to go!" Exclaimed Kazuya, stepping forward.

"Me too!" Gazimon said, stepping forward as well.

"Sorry, but this was only meant for digimon." Datamon replied.

Kazuya slunk back in defeat and disappointment while Gazimon still had his determined look on his face.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that stupid virus!" Gazimon exclaimed.

"In that case I will accompany you." Said Fairydramon.

Gazimon's eyes then lit up with perverted excitement. "Are you worried about me?" He asked.

Fairydramon groaned. "I just don't want you to mess this up." She said.

Gazimon's perverted look still adorned his face as he stepped into the pod. Fairydramon followed him. It was a bit cramped in there and Gazimon cocked his eyes at Fairydramon and made a clicking sound with his mouth.

Datamon began to type at the console. "Alright. Transferring two digimon, both Rookies. Virus type and data type." Datamon recited.

"Wait a minute. How can you transfer them with this virus acting up?" Sakura asked.

"Don't worry, this baby is powered by an external power source I found." Datamon said, pointing to the generator.

Sakura looked toward the generator. For a brief moment her digivice glowed but she did not notice it.

"Transfer now!" Datamon exclaimed, pushing a button. In a flash of light Gazimon and Fairyramon vanished.

The two rookies appeared in a sea of ones and zeros. Some of them flowed aimlessly while others seemed to flow together on streams of data code.

"Wow." Exclaimed Gazimon. His eyes now shone with amazement.

"Come on. We have a job to do." Said Fairydramon. She floated with ease in this new world. Gazimon followed her example and managed to float as easily as she was.

They flew through the network. They had not noticed anything peculiar then the binary sea, but Gazimon was glad to be alone with his lovely Fairydramon.

Flying close to her, Gazimon wore a sly smile. "Isn't it romantic flying through here together?" He asked, moving close to her.

Fairydramon ignored Gazimon. Ahead something caught her attention. "Get ready. I think we found our target." Said Fairydramon.

Looking ahead Gazimon and Fairydramon could make out a figure. They could tell it was a digimon but it was different then any digimon they had seen before. The digmon had a purple jellyfish body with a round head. It had long arms with a green eye marking on its hands. Its eyes were wide and yellow. Its mouth hung in a happy almost insane grin.

"La la la." The strange digimon sang repeatedly.

"Oookaay." Said Gazimon.

Outside, everyone was watching on the console screen.

So that's the thing that's in our system?" Prarimon asked.

Kazuya took out his digimon analyzer and held it up to the console. In moments, the info for the strange digimon appeared.

Digimon: Keramon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Unknown

Type: Unknown

Attacks: Crazy Giggle, Tentacle Flapping

"An unknown type?" Kazuya questioned.

Meanwhile inside the system, Gazimon and Fairydramon were contemplating on what to do with Keramon.

"We should come up with a plan. We don't know what this digimon can do." Suggested Fairydramon.

"Electric Stun Blast!" Gazimon's attack struck Keramon. Keramon shrieked and turned toward the two rookies.

"What are you doing!?" Fairydramon shouted.

"Hey, we were sent to take care of the problem, so I'm doing it!" Exclaimed Gazimon.

"You!" Keramon shouted, alerting Gazimon and Fairydramon. Keramon had an angry expression on his face.

"You don't know what it was like for me!" Shouted Keramon.

Gazimon and Fairydramon were both confused. "Excuse me?" Fairydramon asked.

Keramon began to twist and turn as he continued to rant. "You told me it was going to be easy!" Keramon ranted. "You don't know do you!?"

"What are you?" Fairydramon began.

"Now it's my turn, my world, my rules!" Keramon interrupted.

For a moment there was silence. No one made a move or a breath. They were all waiting to see who would make the next move.

"Boo!" Said Keramon. Suddenly Keramon released several energy blasts from his mouth.

"Watch out!" Gazimon said, pushing Fairydramon out of the way.

Keramon laughed as he continued to fire blast after blast. "The Pineapple! Ha ha heh heh! Keramon laughed.

Gazimon continued to push Fairydramon out of harms way. Then for a moment Keramon stopped and went back to his business.

"Thank you." Said Fairydramon.

"Heh, don't worry. I always protect the pretty ladies." Said Gazimon.

Fairydramon looked toward Keramon who went back to causing destruction and mayhem.

"If only I could get close to him." Said Fairydramon.

"I'll distract him and then you can sneak in." Gazimon volunteered.

"Are you sure?" Fairydramon asked.

Gazimon simply nodded and gestured Fairydramon to go ahead. "Electric Stun Blast!" Gazimon attacked Keramon. The strange digimon yelped as the attack hit him. He turned and immediately began firing more blasts at Gazimon who was trying his best to dodge.

Keramon continued to laugh until he felt the feeling of claw tips against his head. Cocking his eyes, he saw it was Fairydramon who had him at claw point.

"Goo Goo!" Keramon said, insanely.

"Don't move!" Fairydramon warned.

"Alright Fairydramon!" Gazimon cheered.

Keramon did as he was told when an idea struck his fractured mind. He kept his eyes on Fairydramon and simply said "Ha cha cha cha cha!" Raising his tentacle arms, he wrapped them around Fairydramon's neck. A small flame escaped her mouth as she choked.

"Get your hands off my sweet honey!" Gazimon shouted. He fired another Electric Stun Blast. The attack struck Keramon, stunning him.

"Pitfall!" Gazimon cried. He brought his claws down on Keramon in a digging motion. Keramon let go of Fairydramon and fell back.

"Get away!" Fairydramon shouted. Gazimon did as he was told and Fairydramon began to attack.

"Fairy Flame!" The fire engulfed Keramon. As soon as it dissipated, Keramon was left shriveling and blackened.

"Fairy Slash!" Fairydramon slashed her claws forward. Keramon split in half as a result of the attack and his now burnt body separated.

"Ah ahh craazzzy Harold I… will seeeeee… you again!" Keramon proclaimed before deleting.

"Okay, that was peculiar." Said Fairydramon.

"Oh Fairydramon, that was so cool what you did." Gazimon commented. "You're so smart, strong, and beautiful."

"Um well, you did well yourself." Fairydramon commented. For once she was not angered by Gazimon's comments.

Outside, the lights and computers in the base had returned to normal.

"Alright, they did it!" Kazuya said, excitedly.

"Our digimon were incredible!" Sakura said in equal excitement.

Datamon then began the process to rematerialize Gazimon and Fairydramon. In a flash the two Rookie digimon were back at the base. The remaining digimon immediately began to barrage the two with questions of what it was like in there.

"Well, it seems like things are finally working out for us." Said Sho.

"I wouldn't jinx us just yet." Said Chiisi.

"Huh?" Sho asked.

A loud rumbling sound could be heard as the roof suddenly burst open in a blaze of fire and twisted metal. A figure descended from the hole. Everyone shrank back in fear when they saw who it was……SkullMeramon.

"Well, well, all my favorite people are here." SkullMeramon mocked, noticing the digidestined. "It's my lucky day!"

Taking his chains, he began to swing them wildly, hitting all sorts of machinery and digimon. Datamon was hit and fell back. Prariemon rushed to defend her boss, but she too was hit. An assortment of Kokuwamon and Hagurumon tried to attack, but most of them ended up deleted. Turning toward the digidestined he glared. He wanted to kill them all at once but something inside him decided to try a new and interesting game.

"You know, I am going to let you all live for now." Said SkullMeramon.

"What kind of trick is this!?" Kazuya demanded.

"Oh, no trick. I just want to have some fun before I kill you!" Said SkullMeramon. SkullMeramon looked over the group trying to make his decision. He stopped at Sakura and laughed.

"I choose you!" He shouted. He shot a chain toward Sakura wrapping it around her. Sakura screamed as she felt herself being pulled forward. As she went toward SkullMeramon, her digivice glowed as it passed the generator. SkullMeramon was the only one who noticed this.

"Sakura!" Fairydramon shouted, flying toward SkullMeramon. Her only response was a kick to the gut sending her flying into the wall.

"Fairydramon!" Shouted Sakura.

The other digimon were prepared to attack but all of their attempts were stopped by a wall of fire SkullMeramon created. Everyone stood behind the fire trapped, all except Kazuya. He had managed to run towards SkullMeramon before he had ignited that wall of fire.

"Let her go!" SkullMeramon looked to see that Kazuya was running towards him. Kazuya began to punch SkullMeramon as hard as he could, but it had no effect on the Ultimate level digimon. SkullMeramon kicked Kazuya hard to the ground.

"Leave him alone!" Sakura shouted, trying her best to hit SkullMeramon.

"You know, you have guts kid, but be patient. I won't kill this girl just yet." Said SkullMeramon, strolling toward Kazuya. As he walked toward the boy, he passed the generator. Sakura's digivice glowed again as he did.

"You know this has got me curious." Said SkullMeramon. He jammed his fist into the generator. The sound of crackling electricity could be heard.

"Oh, I got a bonus prize!" said SkullMeramon. Pulling his hand out of the generator, he was now holding a magenta colored orb. Putting it in the crook of his arm, he began to walk towards the hole in the ceiling.

"Well, it's been fun, but I have business to attend to." Said SkullMeramon. Giving a whistle with his free hand, a chain lowered down the hole. He grabbed a hold of it and pulled, signaling it to go up.

"Wait!" Kazuya groaned, getting up.

"Kazuya!" Sakura shouted, as she and SkullMeramon were pulled up.

Kazuya stumbled to his feet but the pain in his gut burned at him. He fell to his knees and pounded an angry fist to the floor.

"Sakura." Kazuya whispered.

XXX

Sakura was sent to the cold metal floor of the Blimpmon hard. The chains were wrapped tightly around her.

"Don't bother struggling, because I am not letting you go my dear." SkullMeramon said, sadistically.

"Head back to base. It's time to put the plan into action!" SkullMeramon commanded.

The Blimpmon then sped off. Inside, Sakura was scared for her very life. She didn't know what SkullMeramon had in store for her nor did she want to find out. As her mind raced with fear, she noticed the magenta orb that SkullMeramon was holding.

The symbol of what seemed to be a peach glowed for a brief moment.

To be continued…

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed my story. This would have been posted sooner but I was dealing with some issues that I needed to deal with. Btw all of Keramon's lines were from a video game. Or more accurately an ending for a video game or an ending that never made it into the final cut of the game. Kudos to anyone who can guess which game they came from.


	19. Chapter 19

The Hagurumon and Kokuwamon went about their business as usual. After the previous attack, they were checking to see if the systems and equipment were still working properly. Another group was cleaning up the mess SkullMeramon had made. Datamon stood nearby overseeing the work being done. Prariemon walked up to her boss, a notepad in her gauntlet claws.

"So how's the damage?" Asked Datamon, turning to Prariemon.

Looking at her notepad, Prariemon began to assess the situation. "Well the systems are making a slow recovery, but there are still strands of Keramon's damage." Said Prariemon.

"Hmm." Muttered Datamon. "It's all my fault."

Datamon banged the wall. "If I hadn't continuously scanned those things then this wouldn't have happened." He continued.

"Oh come now. This isn't the Datamon I know." Said Prariemon. "The Datamon I know would think up a plan to remedy the situation."

Datamon absorbed those words for a moment.

"Yeah you're right." He said confidently.

The spark of confidence returned to Datamon's eyes. "I think its time we put a stop to SkullMeramon." Said Datamon.

"Glad to see you're back to normal." Prariemon said with a smile.

Datamon had now returned to his old confident self. He just needed one more element before they went forward with their plan. "Where are the digidestined?" Asked Datamon.

"Oh I put them in the medical room." Said Prariemon.

"Medical room?" Datamon inquired.

"Yes. The goggle headed boy needed treatment for his bruises." said Prariemon.

XXX

"OW!" Kazuya screamed in pain.

"Please hold still." The Kokuwamon replied.

In the medical room, a Kokuwamon was busy slathering on some white liquid over his chest. It was unpleasant for two reasons. One, the area the Kokuwamon was rubbing was bruised from when SkullMeramon kicked him, and two, the Kokuwamon's metal hand was as cold as ice.

The medical room was simply just an examination table with a few shelves and an overhanging light. The others stood by, waiting for Kazuya's treatment to be finished.

"Now this salve will help with the bruising." said Kokuwamon, finally finishing with the salve.

"Well in that case let's go!" Kazuya said, hopping off the table. Upon immediately reaching the ground, Kazuya winced in pain.

"Hold on. Give it time to absorb into your skin." The Kokuwamon warned.

"It can dry on the way!" exclaimed Kazuya.

"Maybe you should listen to him." Sho cautioned.

Kazuya turned to Sho. A furious expression was on his face.

"How can we just wait when SkullMeramon has Sakura!?" Kazuya said angrily.

"We just can't rush in there without a plan!" Fairydramon suddenly spoke up. Fairydramon was standing near Chiisi, her arms crossed.

"How can you say that? She's your partner!" Kazuya exclaimed in shock.

"Which is all the more reason we should wait." Fairydramon replied.

Kazuya looked toward Chiisi. Chiisi was kneeling on a wall, DemiDevimon perched on his shoulder.

"What about you?" Asked Kazuya. "She's your own flesh and blood."

Chiisi nonchalantly turned his head. "Recklessness won't help." was his simple answer.

Kazuya looked toward Sho and Jun. No words were exchanged, only glances. Obviously, everyone else in the group shared the same opinion.

Giving a disgusted groan, Kazuya reached for his shirt and jacket. "Come on Gazimon!" he commanded.

"Right!" Gazimon obediently followed his partner.

Before he could reach the door, Kazuya felt himself being pinned to the wall with great force. As he hit the cold metal wall, Kazuya could see who was pinning him. It was Fairydramon. She was flapping her wings, staying afloat as she held the boy against the wall with her claws.

"Now listen here boy!" Fairydramon began sternly. "You're not the only one who cares about Sakura. I want to save her just as much as you, but we have to think of a plan before we go charging in."

Letting go off the boy, she floated down. There was a loud metallic thunk as Fairydramon thumped her tail hard on the ground.

"Is that clear!?" Fairydramon finished sternly.

Everyone was surprised at the little Rookie's outburst. Kazuya nodded his head acknowledging Fairydramon's warning. Gazimon looked at Fairydramon with an expression of love and devotion.

"_That's my kind of lady!_" Gazimon thought to himself.

The door slid open with a whoosh as Datamon and Prariemon entered. "I am sure you all want to save your friend." Datamon began.

Kazuya turned towards the cyborg digimon, a hopeful look on his face.

"You have a plan?" Kazuya asked.

"Well yes, but I want to wait and see what happens." Datamon answered.

Kazuya began to speak but stopped when Datamon held up his finger in a shushing motion. Putting his finger down, he began to explain his reasons.

"I know that you want to save the girl, but I want to see what those towers are for." Said Datamon.

"You mean those things we saw on the screen earlier?" Asked Jun.

"Yes." Datamon replied. "The energy stored in them is increasing at a rapid pace."

"Well shouldn't we stop them?" Asked Sho.

"Like I said I want to wait and see what happens." replied Datamon. "Besides, the place is still heavily guarded." Datamon continued "But if my guesses are correct, it won't be for very much longer."

Everyone stared questionably at Datamon. "Say, what was that thing SkullMeramon grabbed?" asked Chiisi.

Datamon's eyes looked serious. "That was a power source we recently discovered." Said Datamon. "It helped us set up our system."

"It was round wasn't it?" Asked Chiisi.

"You don't think?" DemiDevimon began.

Chiisi nodded. "Yes. I believe that was a digicore."

Kazuya's fist slammed the wall in frustration. Things were not looking up. SkullMeramon had Sakura and now he had one of the digicores.

"Hmm a digicore. Didn't expect that." said Datamon. "But it would explain all that odd data I detected in it."

Motioning towards the door, Datamon started to leave. "Follow me if you want to see what's up with those spires." said Datamon.

Everyone began to follow Datamon out the door. Well, everyone except Kazuya and Gazimon.

"You two coming?" Asked Datamon.

Kazuya simply shook his head. Datamon then turned around, the door closing behind him with a whoosh.

Kazuya did not want to face anyone right now. That was the reason he had stayed behind. Gazimon's reason for staying behind was out of loyalty to his partner.

"Hey cheer up buddy. Things are going to be alright!" Gazimon said, trying to cheer up his partner.

"Really?" Kazuya asked.

"Of course! You and I are the ultimate team! We'll beat SkullMeramon and save Sakura!" Gazimon proclaimed. "Besides if I save Sakura, Fairydramon will be grateful and that means a little reward for me!" Gazimon finished dreamily.

Kazuya gave a small laugh. Even in a situation like this, Gazimon was still the Digital Worlds biggest pervert.

XXX

SkullMeramon stared in awe at the machine before him. The Goblimon stood at their computers, performing a system check before the operation could begin. All the while SkullMeramon was still staring at the central core and the magenta colored light glowing from within.

"Oh this is sweet!" SkullMeramon said, in an uncharacteristically cheerful voice. However, behind that cheerful tone, one could easily pick up the sadism in his voice.

He just could not believe his luck. Since Demon gave him his orders, he had three goals. In a single day, he had partially accomplished one of his goals. In fact, the magenta colored light was proof of that. Soon, the source of that magenta light would help him accomplish his second goal. He still had one more goal, but that would come in good time.

"So boss what's supposed ta happen?" Impmon asked.

"Oh you'll find out." Said SkullMeramon.

Taking one of his chains, SkullMeramon enflamed it and struck the ground, leaving a small dent.

"Alright start the operation!" SkullMeramon commanded.

Obeying their master, The Goblimon entered a few commands into the computers. The central core pulsed with electricity. The magenta orb glowed even brighter. Basking in its light, SkullMeramon continued to laugh.

"Oh yes, yes!" SkullMeramon crowed.

Meanwhile at the various corners of Folder, several flame painted spires began to glow. Instantaneously, they each emitted a brief wave of iridescent colored energy.

"The operation is complete sir." The Goblimon recited.

"Excellent!" SkullMeramon replied.

"Okay what da heck just happened?" Impmon asked.

SkullMeramon gave a lurid chuckle. "Let's just say I won't have to worry about my enemies evolving."

SkullMeramon turned around, heading toward the door. "Call everyone back. There's no point in keeping things heavily guarded." said SkullMeramon.

Just then, a Goblimon burst through the door, knocking into SkullMeramon. The Goblimon fell back while SkullMeramon remained standing.

Oh sir, I was just looking for you!" The Goblimon exclaimed.

SkullMeramon stared angrily at his minion. "You bumped into me." SkullMeramon hated when his minions bumped into him accidentally. To him it radiated idiocy.

"Now sir I'm sorry, but I have something you might be pleased with." The Goblimon groveled.

Another Goblimon strode into the room. In his arms, he was carrying something. It was round and orange colored. The Goblimon was struggling with the object, but managed to hold it up in presentation.

"Where did you find that?" SkullMeramon asked.

"In the mountains after you gave out that order." The Goblimon replied.

Stroking the object SkullMeramon grinned. "Well you actually pleased me." SkullMeramon commended.

The Goblimon smiled. Perhaps he would not be deleted after all.

"But I don't forgive bumping into me!" SkullMeramon shouted. Flames engulfed the Goblimon as he burst into bits of data. The other Goblimon sweated in fear.

"Ahh! That felt good." SkullMeramon proclaimed. He continued his stride toward the door. A smile adorned his face.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on my little prisoner." SkullMeramon mused.

"Hey wait up!" Impmon shouted, running after his boss.

As he walked down the hallway, SkullMeramon's sadistic smile never left his face. He casually tossed the orange sphere in his left hand up and down. "Man I'm having a good day." He said to himself.

XXX

Sakura wriggled her hands. The chains clanked and clattered as she tried to get free. Finally, she relented and stopped fidgeting. Her hands collapsed to the ground, the chains extending from the wall. She looked about the cell, which was her prison.

Sakura could not believe her predicament. She hated being the damsel in distress. She wondered what SkullMeramon had in store for her. She wished Kazuya and Fairydramon were here. She knew Kazuya would try to rescue her. If Fairydramon were here, she would have just evolved and busted her out.

She looked down at her digivice. For the past few minutes, the screen had started blinking. She didn't know what was happening but something inside her told her it was not good.

The door ahead of her opened up. Sakura tensed up awaiting anything that was about to befall her. A Goblimon stepped into the room. He was carrying a tray of food.

"Oh hi." The Goblimon greeted.

"Um hi." Sakura answered a bit perplexed.

The Goblimon slid the tray thru a small opening in the cell. "I hope you're hungry." Said the Goblimon.

Sakura took the fork that was sitting in the food. The food itself looked like it was some sort of meaty substance. Hesitantly putting the fork to her mouth, she ate it. Surprisingly it was good. She began to eat more of it.

"This is pretty good." Sakura commented. "But why are you feeding me?"

"Well, I figured if you're a prisoner we couldn't have you starve." said the Goblimon.

Sakura smiled slightly, but soon her smile changed to a frown. "What?" The Goblimon asked.

Standing in the doorway was SkullMeramon. He looked toward the Goblimon and then toward Sakura.

"What the hell is that?" He asked the Goblimon, as he pointed towards Sakura's food.

"W-well I-I was just feeding her sir." The Goblimon stammered.

The Goblimon hit the wall as SkullMeramon delivered a hard kick. He then walked over to the cell door with Impmon closely following him. The food tray clattered as it was kicked, splattering its contents all over the wall and floor.

"Next time don't do so until I order it!" SkullMeramon commanded. The Goblimon groaned in response.

Sakura squirmed in fear. SkullMeramon smiled at that. Sakura noticed the orange ball in SkullMeramon's hand. Despite being a different color, it looked very much like the magenta orb.

"Oh curious?" Inquired SkullMeramon, noticing Sakura's attention towards the orange orb.

SkullMeramon began to toss it up and down continuously. "Well I'm sure you know what this is. Come on, use your head." said SkullMeramon.

A thought of realization finally hit the girl. "Digicore." She said instinctively.

"Ding ding ding! She is correct!" SkullMeramon exclaimed, breaking into a cackle.

Sakura did not know why she did not see it before. Now SkullMeramon had two digicores. Sakura gasped as she noticed SkullMeramon kneeling in front of her.

"Comfortable?" He asked.

"What are you going to do to me?" Sakura asked.

SkullMeramon reached out to the girl. Sakura closed her eyes, awaiting her impending death. Instead, she felt warm fingers against her cheek. Opening her eyes, she could see SkullMeramon caressing the side of her face. If she wasn't so scared she would have yelled "personal space!"

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you yet." SkullMeramon said, taking his hand off.

"What?" Sakura said in surprise.

"I'm going to wait till your little friends show up." said SkullMeramon.

Sakura cocked her head in confusion. She did not understand where he was going with this. She was right here. He could kill her anytime he wanted.

"Is this some kind of mind game!?" Sakura asked.

"Oh no, but it is a game." Said SkullMeramon.

SkullMeramon's eyes locked on the girl as he began to explain his plan. "You see your friends will show up to rescue you." He started. "I can just picture the looks of determination on their faces. Now imagine those faces when I reduce them all to ashes."

SkullMeramon's eyes lit up in excitement and anticipation. "Now picture yourself finding out your little friend's deaths." SkullMeramon continued. "Your joy and hope fading into nothingness as I send you to greet them."

SkullMeramon raised his head a bit, his eyes now glittering with insanity. "Once you're all dead I will be the greatest of all time." He finished dramatically. SkullMeramon then turned towards the exit with Impmon following closely behind him. The cell and room doors closed with a shatter and a bang.

The Goblimon had risen to his feet. His head ached from hitting the wall.

"Are you okay?" Asked Sakura.

"Yeah." The Goblimon replied rubbing his head. "How about you?" he asked.

"Well other than having a psychopath scare me, I'm fine." said Sakura.

The Goblimon looked toward the door and then back at Sakura. "You know, he's probably going to go back to his quarters so if you want I could go back to the kitchen and get you something." said the Goblimon.

"But what about SkullMeramon?" Sakura asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Oh don't worry. Everyone here is used to beatings like that." The Goblimon replied.

Sakura cocked her eyes in confusion. "So then why do you work for him?" Sakura asked.

A surprised look appeared on the Goblimon's face. To be honest he had never thought much about it.

"Gee I don't know. It was kind of expected I guess." said Goblimon.

"Well you shouldn't do something that you think people expect you to do." said Sakura.

"But it's not like we can stand up to SkullMeramon." Goblimon argued. "Sooner or later the Fallen Angels will rule the Digital World."

Sakura's face lit up in resolve. "No. My friends and I are fighting to stop that."

Goblimon stared questionably at the girl. "But you're just humans."

Sakura's resolve never faltered from her face. "I know that but we also have digimon."

Sakura could tell the goblin digimon was still unconvinced. "Look I don't think its right to work under someone that you are afraid of."

Goblimon's expression began to soften. Sakura noticed this and continued to talk. A smile appeared on her face.

"My friends and I can help." Sakura reasoned.

Goblimon looked down at the floor. "I'll go get you something." He said as he left.

Sakura stared at the door. Sighing she turned her gaze towards the floor. Perhaps she had gotten to the digimon. After all, sometimes you had to show kindness towards your enemies. In this case, it was the servants of your enemies. Although she was unsure, her resolve never left her.

Meanwhile in the hallway, Goblimon continued to walk down towards the kitchen. He knew he was disobeying SkullMeramon, but for some reason the punishment he would probably receive was far from his mind. But the conflict still rang within. He continued down towards his destination, unsure of what to do.

XXX

Kazuya put his jacket back on followed by his goggles. The salve had dried and absorbed into his skin. The bruise was gone. Slumping along the wall, he immersed himself deep into his thoughts. Gazimon stood by his partner. He knew well to leave his partner alone.

The sliding of the door rang out as Chiisi with DemiDevimon still perched on his shoulder stepped inside.

"Kazuya." Said Chiisi.

Kazuya turned his attention toward the boy. "What?" he asked.

"Datamon wants us all to come to the command center." Said Chiisi.

"Alright." Kazuya said simply.

Kazuya motioned Gazimon to follow him. Before he could leave though, Chiisi stopped him.

"Don't worry about what happened earlier." said Chiisi.

Kazuya stopped and looked at the boy. "I acted like a complete jerk."

"You were just worried." said Chiisi.

"Besides, jerks happen to be the some of the most interesting kind of people." Said DemiDevimon.

Chiisi shot DemiDevimon a "you're not helping" look. The bat digimon simply chuckled in response.

Kazuya however still looked unconvinced. "But still..." Kazuya began.

"Don't beat yourself up about it." Chiisi interrupted. "I'm worried about Sakura too. We just have to think of a plan to rescue her."

A small grin began to form on Kazuya's lips. Surprisingly it seemed that like his older cousin, Chiisi could make him feel better.

"Thanks." Said Kazuya.

Kazuya's grin grew wider. "Well I guess we better go." Kazuya said, proudly adjusting his goggles. "You ready Gazimon?" Kazuya asked his partner.

"You bet!" Gazimon replied. The boy and his digimon left the medical bay. Chiisi simply smiled and followed them.

The two boys and their digimon soon joined up with the others in the command center.

"Well now that we are all here we can began." said Datamon.

Everyone stood assembled in the room ready to hear what the cyborg digimon had to say.

"The spires that SkullMeramon have set up have released some sort of anti evolution field." Datamon began.

"Anti evolution?" Sho inquired.

Datamon pointed towards Sho's digivice. "Yes. Your digivices have certainly felt the effects." said Datamon.

Sho and everyone else looked at their blinking digivices.

"The same can be said for every other digimon on Folder." Datamon continued. "Evolution is now useless."

"Well I know that sucks for us, but how would this matter to the other digimon?" Jun asked. "So they can't evolve. Big deal."

"The big deal is that evolution is something every digimon wants." said Prariemon. "To us, evolution is a great accomplishment"

Datamon saw the confused looks on the digidestined's faces. "Let me explain." Datamon cleared his throat.

"Evolution is something every digimon fights and trains for." Datamon began. "It's true some digimon are peaceful types that simply want to go about their daily lives, but evolution is a major factor."

"That's why some digimon search out digimentals." said Prariemon. "So they can evolve easily."

"Now picture what would happen if no one could evolve." Datamon began. "Fighting and mass chaos would break out. They would not be able to defend themselves against bigger, stronger digimon. Eventually they would become desperate and have to accept one thing that might help them evolve."

A wave of realization washed over the digidestined. "You don't mean…" Kazuya began.

"The viruses." said Fairydramon.

"Bingo." said Datamon.

"We have seen what those viruses are capable of and evolution is a definite possibility." said Fairydramon remembering the fight with Tapirmon.

"But those digimon couldn't be that desperate could they?" asked Penguinmon.

"Yeah, they can't all be meanies." Labramon yipped.

"With the state the Digital World is in, being a slave would be better than being deleted." replied Fairydramon.

"Alright so what's the plan!?" Kazuya boldly asked.

The group minus Chiisi and DemiDevimon were surprised at Kazuya's outburst. It seemed that their leader had returned to his old self.

"Glad you asked." said Datamon. "Our cameras show that since the spires went active, most of the Goblimon guards around SkullMeramon's base have left their posts. We need a team to infiltrate the base and shut down the spires."

"Let me guess, its going to be us?" Jun asked.

"Bingo." replied Datamon.

"Well come on, let's get going!" Kazuya said excitedly.

Datamon held up his hand stopping the boy from doing anything drastic. "Hold on, you can't just rush in there at once." Datamon began. "You need to send a few people in to deactivate it. Then, the rest of you rush inside."

Kazuya nodded in agreement. He then turned towards the others. "Alright you guys, you heard him, let's go!"

Datamon held out his hand again, stopping the boy. "Hold on!"

Kazuya nearly fell to the ground. "Would you make up your mind already!?" Kazuya angrily demanded.

Datamon glared at the goggle headed boy. Kazuya quickly composed himself giving a little bow of apology.

"I have a few things in the garage that you might find useful." said Datamon. "Just one question. Which one of you can drive?"

Jun instantly raised her hand. "I'm your girl!" She said.

"You're not old enough to drive." said Kazuya.

Jun flashed a smug smile towards Kazuya. "I will be in one year so that's close enough."

Kazuya mocked Jun's voice under his breath as he and the rest of the group was lead to the garage. After a short walk, they were lead into a darkly lit room. The room then lit up revealing the interior. Several pieces of hardware equipment lay strewn about, from wrenches to screws to hammers. However, what really caught everyone's attention was the vehicle at the center of the room.

Before them lay what appeared to be a heavily armed jeep. The upper shape was that of a normal jeep minus the windows on the side. Below, instead of four wheels, there were eight, counting all of the sides together.

Jun's face lit up in excitement. Kazuya turned to her and said, "You may drive but I call shotgun."

Datamon floated up to the front of the group. "Remember you are on an important mission so don't get crazy." said Datamon. "Inside is a bag with a few things that might help your on your mission. Don't worry about getting lost, because this baby has built in radar leading to SkullMeramon's base. Good Luck!" Datamon finished.

After Datamon finished, the four humans and the four digimon practically leapt towards the vehicle. Datamon glared and sighed as the doors slammed shut. Inside, everyone took their positions. Jun was riding in the front, Penguinmon on her lap. Kazuya and Gazimon sat opposite from them. Sho and Chiisi were seated behind them with Fairydramon in the middle. DemiDevimon remained perched on Chiisi's soldier while Labramon, due to her size, was behind them.

Jun gripped the wheel tightly with excitement. Before she could start the engine, Kazuya spoke up.

"Everyone." Kazuya began. Everyone turned their attention towards Kazuya. "Look, I'm sorry if I acted like a jerk earlier." He apologized.

"Hey it's no problem." Said Sho.

The two boys smiled at each other showing there were no hostilities on either side. Kazuya then looked toward Fairydramon.

"Fairydramon, I understand that you are just as worried about Sakura as I am, so let's make sure we come back with her." Kazuya said with a nod. The dragon digimon responded similarly with a nod.

"Enough talk, let's just go." Jun said brashly.

In moments, the ignition lit up and the roar of the engine rang out. The jeep sped through the garage leaving a trail of skid marks behind them. Outside near the edge of the swamp, a section of the ground opened up revealing the ramp way beneath it. The jeep sped out leaping high into the air. Everyone inside were tossed and turned as they landed.

"Watch how you're driving. Labramon doesn't even have a seatbelt!" Sho shouted. He looked in the back to find Labramon sprawled out on her back with a dizzy look on her face.

"Labramon, you okay?" Sho asked, in a worried voice.

Labramon managed to pull herself up to look at her partner. "Oh sure I'm okay, I just need to take a little nappy." She said, before collapsing.

"You probably shouldn't bother getting a driver's license!" Kazuya spat.

"Yeah yeah." Jun dismissed.

XXX

Sakura sat in her cell. She had begun counting down the seconds. It was the only way to pass the time. The chains were starting to hurt her wrists as she fidgeted. Suddenly, the door ahead of her opened up. A smile spread across her face at who had entered. It was the Goblimon from earlier.

"I'm here to get you out." said Goblimon.

"But won't it be risky?" Sakura asked, in a mixture of happiness and concern.

"Don't worry. Since those spires went active, security has gone down." answered Goblimon.

Goblimon went through the keys until he found the right one. Opening the door, he went inside and unlocked the chains clamped around the girl's wrists. Stealthily, Goblimon checked to see if anyone was in the hallways. Sure enough, Goblimon was right about security being low. He motioned Sakura to follow him.

"Thank you for doing this." said Sakura.

Goblimon looked up towards the girl. "No problem." He replied.

"What made you change your mind?" asked Sakura.

"I did some thinking and you were right." said Goblimon. "Besides, SkullMeramon is a jerk and I would rather not spend every day of my life wondering if I am going to be deleted."

Goblimon then smiled. "You're one of the few people who were kind to me."

"Oh?" Sakura said in surprise.

Goblimon then hung his head down. "Most digimon instantly think I'm evil because I'm a Goblimon." He said, sadly.

Sakura placed her hand on the ogre digimon. "Like I said before, you shouldn't be what people expect you to be." said Sakura.

The two smiled at each other before Sakura asked, "Did that sound a little preachy?"

"Maybe just a little." Goblimon replied.

Sakura sighed. "I was afraid of that."

XXX

After a wild and lengthy ride, the jeep had finally come to a stop. Ahead of the vehicle stood SkullMeramon's base. Luckily, the vehicle was far off from being detected. The digidestined and their digimon departed from the vehicle.

"I'm glad that is over!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"Oh come on! I was not that bad of a driver!" Jun spat.

Moments later, Sho opened up the trunk and out came Labramon who dizzily staggered around before collapsing to the ground. Kazuya shot Jun an "I told you so" look.

"Oh forget it. Let's just get on with this plan." said Jun.

In the trunk, Sho pulled out a black duffle bag. Opening it, Sho found some sort of walkie-talkie along with a building schematic for what appeared to be a base.

"Hey guys, check this out!" Sho called to everyone. Everyone crowded around Sho to see what he had found.

"_So you finally found it!_" a voice said through the walkie-talkie.

Everyone was a bit surprised at the sudden voice as each one gave out a yell. "_Surprised you, did I?_" the voice asked again.

"Datamon?" Gazimon asked, recognizing the voice.

"_You would be correct my scruffy rabbit._" Datamon answered.

"Scruffy?" Gazimon asked himself, looking over his fur.

"_Never mind. Are you near the base?_" Datamon asked.

"Yeah it's just ahead." answered Kazuya.

"_Good. Now, inside the bag there is a schematic for the base._" said Datamon.

Sho held up the schematics for everyone to see. "_Along the side of the base is a sewer line that leads up._" said Datamon. "_While the rest of you go through this sewer line, two of you will head to the gate and shut down the central core._"

"That's easier said than done." Said Jun. "And why can't we all just go through the sewer line?"

"_Divide and conquer, my dear lady._" Datamon replied. "_Now, the costumes inside should tell you who I have picked for the core mission._ _I'll contact the rest of you when it is shut down_. _Good luck!_" Datamon said before closing out.

Although still questioning the cyborg digimon's plan, they decided to obey for the sake of saving Sakura. Opening the duffle bag, two set of disguises could be found. Looking at Gazimon and Fairydramon Kazuya muttered, "You have got to be kidding me."

"What?" Gazimon and Fairydramon asked in unison.

"I think these costumes are for you and Gazimon." said Kazuya.

Gazimon smiled at that. "Guess were the team, huh sweetheart?" Gazimon said, leaning in close to Fairydramon.

Fairydramon shot an annoyed glance at Gazimon. "Oh, how lucky I am." She said, sarcastically.

If being paired with Gazimon was not enough for her, her displeasure grew upon seeing her apparent disguise, as Kazuya pulled it out.

"No, no way. Being with him I can handle, but I am not wearing that!" Fairydramon shouted, first pointing at Gazimon and then at her disguise.

Kazuya pushed it up to her. Finally giving in Fairydramon grabbed it and in a huff said, "Fine! I'll only do this for Sakura!"

XXX

Meanwhile back at Datamon's rebel base, Prariemon had just found out her boss's choice in disguises.

"You're having her wear that!?" Prariemon asked in surprise.

"What? I noticed some interesting chemistry between that Gazimon and Fairydramon." said Datamon.

Prariemon raised an eyebrow at her boss. "You have a very sick mind, you know that?" said Prariemon.

Datamon chuckled at his assistant's statement.

XXX

The two groups split up, each going their separate ways. Gazimon and Fairydramon headed toward the front, while the others went along the side. Thankfully, the security was lax since the activation of the spires, so sneaking around was easy. The side group managed to find the sewer line. It was sticking out of a part of the mountain the base had been built into.

They headed inside, making their way through. A thin trail of water trickled past them leading outside. On the walls and near their feet, several traces of sludge stuck. A horrible smell wafted through it.

"Oh this place is stinky!" Labramon exclaimed. "But that stuff looks interesting." She said, looking towards the sludge.

"Just don't go rolling around in anything." said Sho.

"Okay Sho-chan." Labramon said. Disappointment was evident in her voice.

After a bit of walking, they finally came to a stop. Kazuya looked over the schematic before turning to everyone else.

"Okay according to the schematics, this is the best place to break through when Datamon gives the signal." said Kazuya.

"I just can't wait to kick some bad guy ass." Jun said, cracking her knuckles.

Penguinmon looked down in disappointment. "I was afraid you would say that."

Kazuya looked down at the bird digimon with a smile. "Don't worry. I don't think we should have you or Fairydramon evolve. You might bring the whole place down."

Penguinmon breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he would not have to fight.

"But we'll bring you in if things get too rough." Kazuya added.

Penguinmon looked down again in fear and disappointment for a moment. However, looking at Jun he changed his demeanor, realizing he would be fighting to protect his partner.

Confidently looking up, Kazuya felt this plan would come together. "_Hang on Sakura. We're coming_." Kazuya thought to himself.

"Labramon!" Sho shouted.

Everyone turned to see Labramon rolling around in the filth of the sewer.

"Wow. You guys should really try rolling around in this. It's great!" Labramon exclaimed happily.

Everyone backed away in disgust while Sho sighed in exasperation. Labramon continued to roll around and giggle, confused at why her companions did not want to join her.

XXX

As the others made their way through the sewer line, Gazimon and Fairydramon made their way to the front entrance. They were each dressed in the disguises that Datamon had provided them.

Gazimon's disguise consisted of a pair of sunglasses and a red bandana with a Y insignia, which he wrapped around his arm. The fur at the top of his head was ruffled up, giving him a punkish look.

Fairydramon's disguise was not so simple. Her attire consisted of a black skin-tight leather outfit. Most of her body was visible including her tail, arms, legs, mouth, antenna, and wings. She walked with a frown upon her face, her arms crossed.

"Come on. Try not to look so angry." said Gazimon.

"Easy for you to say, you aren't wearing this!" Fairydramon angrily protested.

"Oh come on. I think you look cute in that." said Gazimon, lowering his sunglasses.

Fairydramon breathed a small flame in anger. "Of course you would say that." She snorted.

The two neared the base entrance. Two Goblimon could be seen standing guard. Apparently, there was still some security.

"Okay. Remember how we rehearsed?" Gazimon asked.

"How could I forget?" Fairydramon retorted, grumpily.

The Goblimon stood at the gate, bored. They wished they could go inside and join their associates, but SkullMeramon had them on guard duty. They did not understand why. It was not as if there would be an attack.

"Huh?" One of them muttered, noticing the two digimon approaching.

"Who goes there?" The other Goblimon demanded.

Gazimon raised his arm in greeting. He then placed his other arm around Fairydramon.

"Hello. My girlfriend and I want to join you and serve the great SkullMeramon." proclaimed Gazimon.

Fairydramon had to hold back all of her anger so as not to cause a disruption.

The two Goblimon blinked and lowered their guard. "Oh, well in that case I need your names first." said one of the Goblimon.

"Of course. I'm YakuzaGazimon." said Gazimon.

Fairydramon grumbled her name, inaudibly. Gazimon nudged her, reminding her why they were here.

"DominatrixFairydramon." Fairydramon said, reluctantly.

The Goblimon reached the door handle, opening it. "Okay, we just have to fill out some paperwork inside." said one of the Goblimon.

The four digimon walked inside. The doors closed with a thud behind them. So far, things were going smoothly, Gazimon thought. Sharp pain then filled his hand. Fairydramon dug her claws into Gazimon's fur.

"Girlfriend!?" She whispered between her teeth.

"I just wanted to make it believable!" Gazimon whispered back, biting his lip so he wouldn't scream from the pain.

Fairydramon released her grip. Gazimon then wisely removed his hand from around Fairydramon's waist.

The Goblimon led the pair to a small room. The room contained a small table with folded chairs and several file cabinets. Everyone seated themselves as the interview began.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know where anyone is hanging out would you?" Gazimon asked.

"_What is that idiot doing!? He's going to blow our cover!_" Fairydramon thought to herself.

"Oh, well most of them are in the central core room." A Goblimon replied.

"And where would that be?" Gazimon asked further.

The Goblimon nodded figuring there would be no harm in telling these future workers. "Just take a left down the next hallway, followed by a right, and then keep going straight."

"Thank you." Gazimon replied.

Gazimon looked at Fairydramon. Both of them each gave each other a sly smile.

Outside the room, the sounds of crashing could be heard, followed by the sound of fire and electricity clashing together. After the sounds of fighting died down, Gazimon and Fairydramon casually strolled out.

"Well, that was easy." said Gazimon.

"Quite, now let's get going!" replied Fairydramon.

The sped off, dashing through the hallway. They occasionally ran into a Goblimon, but they were ignored. If any of them asked, who they were or why they were in a hurry, they would just simply say they were new recruits and they were simply in a rush. The Goblimon simply bought that excuse and went on their business.

The duo finally managed to reach the central core room. Inside, various Goblimon were indulging themselves in all sorts of entertainment. Some of them sat around talking while others used their clubs as limbo sticks. At the center of the room stood, what Gazimon and Fairydramon figured, must be the central core. The core was giving off an intense magenta glow, but none of the Goblimon seemed to care or notice.

"Electric Stun Blast! Fairy Flame!" Gazimon and Fairydramon cried out simultaneously.

The Goblimon barely had any time to react as the central core exploded in a blaze of fire and metal. The room shook for a moment and the computer screens displayed static. Everywhere the Goblimon began to panic. Both Gazimon and Fairydramon decided it was time to make their exit. Just as Gazimon reached the door, he noticed that Fairydramon had stopped.

"Hey, we have to go!" Gazimon shouted.

"Wait, look!" Fairydramon shouted, pointing at something.

Gazimon looked to see the magenta colored digicore had now rolled onto the ground, since the destruction of the central core. Fairydramon reached to grab it, when suddenly it glowed and began to float in the air. In a flash, it sped off, phasing through the walls as it went. Gazimon and Fairydramon both knew what that meant. The digicore had gone to find its owner.

XXX

All over Folder, the monolithic spires stood tall and imposing. If one was near however, they could hear the sound of machinery shutting down from within. Any wild digimon would not know what this meant except for one digimon that is. Datamon had picked up the spires shutting down.

The remaining digidestined group still waited in the sewer line trying to bear with the smell.

"_You there?_" Datamon's voice rang out of the walkie-talkie.

"Yeah we're here." said Kazuya, who was now holding his nose. "Have the spires been shut off?"

"_Affirmative._" Datamon replied.

"Well it's about friggin time!" Jun angrily exclaimed.

Jun then turned to Sho and Chiisi. "Well Sanbara, Chiisi, what are you two waiting for?"

The two boys held up their digivices, looking at their digimon. Both Labramon and DemiDevimon nodded, ready to fight.

"Oh hold on a moment." Labramon suddenly said. She shook herself, making sure to get every bit of filth out of her fur.

"Labramon!" Sho shouted, trying to avoid the grime.

"Sorry." Labramon said, sheepishly.

The boys then again held up their digivices. The digivices glowed with the light of evolution.

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**"

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**"

Up above, the ground burst open, leaving a gaping hole. Two champion digimon, along with the children and one rookie digimon that they were carrying rose out.

"Okay guys, let's find Gazimon and Fairydramon, rescue Sakura and get out of here!" Kazuya said.

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "Man, that was a mouthful!" Kazuya added.

"I think we might have a bit of trouble." said Sho. Several Goblimon had emerged to see what the commotion was. Seeing the humans and their digimon, they immediately attacked.

"Goblin Bomb." The Goblimon cried in unison. They each shot forth a fireball from their club free hands.

"Sekkantou!" cried Shiisamon. Her paws charged with holy energy as she lunged forward. One paw batting the fireballs, and the other striking the Goblimon. The Goblimon fell to the floor. When they regained their stance, they immediately ran away.

"Cowards." said Devimon.

Chiisi gazed around at their surroundings. His face still had a rather calm expression. "We should start looking. No doubt our presence has been detected." He said, in a monotonous voice.

Kazuya picked up his digivice, pushing its buttons. The screen then displayed a moving white signal. "Sakura's free? Awesome!" exclaimed Kazuya.

"That's great and all, but how are we supposed to find the dragon and rabbit?" asked Jun.

Devimon snickered. He stretched out his claws, charging up for a "Touch of Evil". "Oh leave that to me." He said, evilly.

With a yell, Devimon ran off. The cries of various Goblimon echoed off the walls followed by the sound of splitting metal. Everyone sweat dropped. Devimon had found a way to attract attention, by destroying everything in his path.

XXX

Sakura and Goblimon made their way through the halls. It had been a lengthy trek. Occasionally, they had run into another Goblimon and had to either find another way, or render it unconscious. Just then, alarms started to blare.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"Those are just the alarms. There must be intruders." replied Goblimon.

"Intruders?" Sakura asked herself. Picking up her digivice, she began to push her buttons until four red, orange, blue, and black dots appeared.

"My friends are here!" Sakura exclaimed, happily. Sakura's happiness changed to bewilderment as she saw something round, fast, and magenta flying toward her. As it neared closer, she could swear she could see the symbol of a peach. Goblimon raised his club in defense but it passed right through him and entered Sakura's body. Her body glowed as she collapsed to her knees.

"Are you all right?" Goblimon asked, concerned.

Sakura looked at the rookie digimon. "I'm fine." She replied.

Goblimon helped her to her feet, and then he and Sakura continued their trek.

"_Kindness._" Sakura thought to herself, now knowing which trait her digicore represented.

XXX

Up in his private chamber, SkullMeramon laughed as he continuously whipped his chain on the ground. Impmon jumped as he tried to dodge the chain. Impmon held himself up, breathing heavily.

"Who said you could stop?!" SkullMeramon asked.

"But I don't see da point ta dis!" shouted Impmon.

SkullMeramon began to swing his chain around. "My entertainment. I need some until my guests arrive." SkullMeramon said.

Before he could continue to whip at Impmon, the sound of the alarm blared.

"_SkullMeramon sir!_" The timid voice of a Goblimon said.

"What?" SkullMeramon asked, annoyed that he had been interrupted.

"_The humans and their digimon have arrived and they destroyed the central core!_" The Goblimon said.

SkullMeramon was half surprised at that. He expected them to come in order to rescue their friend. He did not expect them however to destroy the central core so easily. Well, either way he could kill them now.

"I guess its killing time now!" SkullMeramon said, excitedly.

SkullMeramon stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Impmon rose to his feet, still a little out of breath. When he finally got it, he angrily flipped the bird to no one in particular.

"Ya lousy jerk!" Impmon shouted. He knelt down on a nearby couch. "Hang in dere Impmon. This is all gonna pay off."

XXX

Gazimon and Fairydramon had long since run off from the central core room. Fairydramon had removed the leather outfit she had worn (and burned it to a crisp). Gazimon had smoothed out the top of his head and removed the bandanna. The only part of his disguise that remained, were his sunglasses.

"Why are you still wearing those?" Fairydramon asked.

Gazimon flipped his sunglasses up. "Hey, why change a good look?" said Gazimon.

A loud explosion and several running Goblimon alerted the pair. The two of them readied themselves for anything. They dropped their guard when they saw a familiar face, Devimon.

"Oh I found you already. Well, it was getting boring." said Devimon.

Fairydramon gave a slight smile. "It's defiantly you." She said.

"Gazimon, Fairydramon!" Gazimon looked to see Kazuya and the group running up behind Devimon.

"Kazuya!" Gazimon shouted, running up and leaping towards his partner.

"The central core has been destroyed, now we can rescue Sakura." said Fairydramon.

"Actually we just have to find her." Kazuya held up his digivice showing the white dot.

"Well, lead the way!" said Fairydramon.

Kazuya nodded in agreement. He turned towards the others with a serious look on his face. "Guys, I think you should leave." He said.

"What are you talking about, goggleboy?" asked Jun.

"Look me, Gazimon, and Fairydramon will go find Sakura. The rest of you should leave." said Kazuya.

"We can't leave you here." said Sho.

While the others were trying to reason with Kazuya's questionable request, Chiisi understood what Kazuya was doing.

"We should leave." Chiisi told the others.

"What?" Sho and Jun asked in unison.

"If something happens to Kazuya or Sakura, then we can keep on fighting." said Chiisi. Understanding, Jun and Sho nodded their heads in agreement.

"Be careful." said Sho.

"Don't die, goggleboy." said Jun.

Chiisi merely gave a thumbs up. The others soon left, their digimon following them.

"Okay, let's go find Sakura!" said Kazuya.

"Right!" The two digimon confirmed.

Holding up his digivice, Kazuya led the way. They ran through the hallways. Few Goblimon tangled with them. Most of the ones they ran into were too scared to fight.

"Hey, the signal is getting closer!" said Kazuya. The white blip on his digivice was drawing closer. Turning a corner, something hit him hard. He fell to the ground. Kazuya looked to see whom he had run into, when his eyes met with a pair of glasses.

"Sakura! Kazuya!" Kazuya and Sakura's voices cried out in unison.

"Sakura!" Fairydramon yelled, leaping into her partner's embrace.

Kazuya smiled at this sight. All they had to do was meet up with the rest of the others and the team would be complete. Then Kazuya looked at Goblimon, and his joy immediately became defensiveness.

"Wait Kazuya, he helped me escape!" Sakura defended.

"Wait a minute. That seems odd, only one Goblimon out of the hundreds here decided to help?" Gazimon asked in confusion.

"We don't have time to question how lucky that is! We need to escape."

"Follow me. I know the quickest way to the exit." said Goblimon

Kazuya and Sakura rose to their feet. "Wait a moment!" Fairydramon suddenly stopped.

"Sakura, did you see anything magenta colored?" asked Fairydramon.

"Oh, you mean my digicore? Don't worry, I already have it." Sakura confirmed.

"Really?" Kazuya asked.

"Yep. Mine is the Digicore of Kindness." Sakura replied.

Kazuya smiled at his friend. "I'd say it suits you." He said.

The talk about digicores made Sakura remember something. "SkullMeramon has another digicore!" She exclaimed. "And I think it's yours."

"What!?" exclaimed Kazuya. "Then we have to get it!"

"Kazuya, it's too dangerous We have to leave!" Sakura reasoned.

"Not without my digicore!" Kazuya argued.

"Yeah, I want to evolve!" Gazimon added.

Before Sakura could reason with her friend, a loud crash boomed startling everyone. A few feet away the ceiling had collapsed. The sound of boots against metal could be heard from within the smoke. Everyone stepped back in fear seeing who it was……SkullMeramon.

SkullMeramon looked over his targets. Sure, they had destroyed his plans and infiltrated his base, but that was all part of the game. His joy lessened upon seeing Sakura free from her chains.

"How'd you escape!?" SkullMeramon demanded.

He looked at the Goblimon standing near them and derived a conclusion.

"Dirty little traitor!" SkullMeramon screamed. "Oh well, no matter. Everyone else is here. Once I kill you, this little setback won't even matter."

"I'm not leaving without my digicore!" Kazuya proclaimed.

SkullMeramon simply scoffed and flared up his fist. "Just try it!" He challenged.

"Kazuya let me handle him!" said Gazimon.

Kazuya nodded and held up his digivice. With a yell of rage, SkullMeramon charged forward.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**" The moment he finished evolving, he locked hands with SkullMeramon.

"Kazuya, you and the others go find your digicore, I'll deal with this creep!" said Genkimon.

Kazuya nodded in agreement and looked at Goblimon. "Okay, do you know where the digicore is?" Kazuya asked.

"In his private quarters." Goblimon responded.

Taking a last look at his partner, Kazuya and the others followed Goblimon. Sakura knew that once Kazuya set his mind to something he went through with it. At least all this running was giving them good exercise. As they ran, the sounds of fighting and crashing could be heard behind them.

Genkimon continued to lock horns with SkullMeramon. He had fought enough times with him to become used to it. Genkimon was holding is own quite well, but again he was a champion and SkullMeramon was an Ultimate.

"Aww, is the little bunny getting tired." SkullMeramon mocked.

Genkimon rose out of the broken wall he was thrown into. The sunglasses he once wore were now shattered on the floor. He held up his fists ready to fight.

"Bring it on, flame head!" Genkimon boldly announced.

XXX

"Here we are. The private quarters." said Goblimon.

The two teenagers and the digimon had reached their destination. It was farther up in the base, but when one knew the right way to go it was easily accessible. That and the adrenaline pumping through them due to the situation helped.

Opening the door, they stepped into the room. The room itself was rather large. In fact, since it was at the top, the room mostly took up half of the entire floor. It was almost like a penthouse suite. The walls had a gritty metal theme to them. Flames were painted on the side showing SkullMeramon's taste. Barbed wire hung off various sections. At the tips, they were covered in something red and dry, most likely blood. Several doors lined the walls, most likely leading into several parts of the chambers. Right now, they were in what appeared to be the living room. The only contents were a chair and a couch along with a table and a chest.

"Okay, I think he may be overdoing the whole sadism theme here." said Kazuya.

Fairydramon walked over to the table. Arranged in a pile were photographs. They were of various digimon, male and female, in various stages of torture. Dropping them with a grimace, Fairydramon noted, "Yes quite."

Ahead, Sakura eyed the chest. "That must be where it is." She said.

"No good. Only SkullMeramon has the key." said Goblimon.

Brandishing her claws, Fairydramon sliced the chest open with a "Fairy Strike!"

"Who needs a key?" Fairydramon asked.

The chest opened with ease. Sure enough, inside was the orange orb of the digicore. Kazuya grabbed it, holding it up with glee.

"Okay, let's get out of here." said Kazuya.

Just then, the flushing of a toilet stopped them in their tracks. The door to the left of them opened up, to reveal Impmon stepping casually out.

"You!?" Kazuya said in disbelief.

Impmon gawked when he saw Kazuya. "What da heck are youse doing here!?" He demanded in his Brooklyn accented voice.

"Um escaping." said Kazuya.

Impmon was about to stop them as he readied himself to launch a "Badda Boom!" but he stopped, noticing the two rookie digimon ready to fight.

"Uh look, we don't have ta get violent now, do we?" Impmon asked, casually stepping back.

The loud familiar sound of twisted metal broke out as the door burst open. A figure giving off a blue aura was the first to emerge. It was Genkimon covered in SkullMeramon's chains.

"Genkimon!" Kazuya shouted in concern. Several pieces of his armor were dented and broken. Several patches of fur were burned off showing the skin and his pants were now torn. SkullMeramon stepped into view laughing loudly. Immediately Impmon's demeanor changed from frightened to triumphant.

"Well, he put up a good fight, but I think he's about done." said SkullMeramon. SkullMeramon saw Kazuya holding the digicore and growled.

"Little children shouldn't be nosing around where they're not supposed to." SkullMeramon said, wagging his finger. "But first things first, dealing with the traitor." He said, looking at Goblimon.

"Goblin Bomb." Goblimon lobbed a fireball at the Ultimate's face. SkullMeramon simply moved his head as if the attack did nothing to him, and it did not.

"Heavy Metal Fire!" SkullMeramon breathed a steady flame engulfing Goblimon.

Goblimon had barely any time to scream as he soon deleted into nothingness.

Sakura stared at the black spot that was once Goblimon with tears in her eyes.

"You monster!" She screamed.

"Oh don't be so dramatic. I kill plenty of them." Said SkullMeramon

Kazuya stepped forward with an angry expression on his face. "You make me sick." Kazuya spat.

SkullMeramon growled angrily, flaring up his fist. However, Kazuya continued to glare angrily at him.

"So that's how it is. You try to scare someone whenever they show courage." said Kazuya.

"Defiant punks should know their place!" said SkullMeramon.

"That's not it, you just hate anyone who stands up to you!" Kazuya spat. "Whether it's me or your own minions."

SkullMeramon laughed loudly. "Oh, so now you're a brave man!" SkullMeramon continued to laugh. Impmon joined in with a snicker of his own.

Kazuya never removed his stance or his glare. "I'm tired of running from you! This ends now!" Kazuya proclaimed.

SkullMeramon's laugh grew even louder. "You know kid, you have guts. I'll give you that, but I think it's time for you to die now."

Before he could move, a bright orange glow radiated from the digicore. The symbol of a sun could be seen, as it slowly sank into Kazuya's body. Kazuya still had the same determined look on his face.

"Why you!" SkullMeramon exclaimed. He stopped when he felt something grab onto his arm. Genkimon pulled himself up as he held onto the fire digimon's arms. SkullMeramon flared it up, but Genkimon refused to let go.

"See? He's not afraid of you and neither am I." said Kazuya.

Kazuya felt something inside him growing. Everyone looked in shock to see the symbol of a sun slowly starting to glow on Kazuya's chest. An orange glow overtook Genkimon. His burned fur began to regenerate and his armor and pants were repairing themselves.

SkullMeramon let go of Genkimon's arm, as he took a step backwards. Kazuya raised his digivice, pointing it towards his digimon. The same symbol on his chest appeared on the screen of the digivice. A bright orange beam shot out of it, enveloping Genkimon. Genkimon felt his power growing as Kazuya shared his courage.

"**Genkimon super evolve!**" Genkimon cried, as his evolution began. Underneath the orange light, his form began to shift and change.

"**NeoGenkimon!**" He finished with a cry.

The light faded as everyone lowered their arms. They all stared in awe at Genkimon's new form. Genkimon was now a few feet taller. His body was far more muscular and seemed to radiate strength. He still wore the same pants only now his left leg was completely covered in the same kind of armor. His right arm was in a similar armored fashion. The armored arm extended to his shoulder pad, which now jutted out with several pointed extensions. The armor on his chest now completely covered his side, exposing his ripped abs. The mask looked grander with a new large sapphire jewel with new blue trimmings on the side and it extended to armor that covered a quarter of his long ears. Finally, the bottom ends of the mask extended down into two fang like pointers.

Kazuya held out his digimon analyzer and pointed it at his digimon.

Digimon: NeoGenkimon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Beast Warrior

Attacks: Mach Rush, Aura Laser, Chi Fist

"He evolved into an Ultimate!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Impressive!" Fairydramon said in surprise.

NeoGenkimon looked over his form. "I like." He said, his voice sounding bolder than ever.

SkullMeramon simply blinked in disbelief. His face contorted in fury. Things were not going his way and he did not like that.

"I'll be with you in a moment." NeoGenkimon said to SkullMeramon in a nonchalant manner.

NeoGenkimon turned towards his companions and held his arms out. "Get away." said NeoGenkimon. Everyone complied and moved.

His armored hands glowed with the familiar blue aura. "Aura Laser!" NeoGenkimon released a large sapphire beam, destroying the wall.

"Fairydramon, get Kazuya and Sakura out of here." said NeoGenkimon.

Fairydramon nodded in agreement. "Right Sakura?" she motioned to her partner. Fairydramon then ran and leapt out of the open wall. On cue, Sakura held up her digivice.

"**Fairydramon evolve! Tiamon!**"

"Come on Kazuya!" Sakura exclaimed, leaping out and landing on her partner's winged back. Kazuya stared at his partner for a moment, but NeoGenkimon simply darted his eyes at him. Kazuya got the message and joined Sakura.

"Now where were we?" asked NeoGenkimon.

SkullMeramon dropped his surprised look and immediately changed it to fury. Before he could attack however, he stopped, noticing NeoGenkimon charging his fists again.

"Aura Laser!" NeoGenkimon cried, releasing another laser beam. The beam rammed into SkullMeramon. He flew at a fast speed completely hitting the opposite end of the tower.

"Mach Rush!" NeoGenkimon enveloped himself in a fiercer looking sapphire aura. He sped off, exiting outside the hole SkullMeramon had made. SkullMeramon was starting to slow down from the attack and was starting to descend. NeoGenkimon appeared in a flash and delivered a slam with his fists sending SkullMeramon down. On the other side, Tiamon descended near the ground, as they neared the location of the other digivice signals. Kazuya looked at his hands for a moment. He could have sworn he felt them tense up. But he ignored it for the time being.

XXX

Impmon stood there looking outside the destroyed wall in shock. Taking another look at the destroyed opposite end, he decided that perhaps it was time to leave. Shrugging, the small digimon ran as fast as he could, searching for the exit.

XXX

Tiamon spotted the others standing a small distance away from the base. She landed near them and Kazuya and Sakura descended from her back.

"Finally you two show up." Jun said, in an annoyed tone. The whole group was with her. Devimon and Shiisamon had long since reverted to their rookie forms. Labramon was the first to notice someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Gazimon?" She asked.

"He's fighting SkullMeramon." answered Tiamon.

"By himself!?" Sho asked in surprise.

"He evolved into his Ultimate form." said Sakura.

"What!?" Everyone said in unison.

"Damn! I wanted to be the first." DemiDevimon said in disappointment.

While everyone else was talking, Kazuya stared at the base ahead of him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had this odd feeling.

XXX

NeoGenkimon descended into the hanger. The Blimpmon stood silent and still, since no one was piloting it. NeoGenkimon scanned the area searching for SkullMeramon.

"DIE!!!!" NeoGenkimon turned to see SkullMeramon charging at him. The sadistic digimon delivered a punch to NeoGenkimon's face. He fell back a few feet, holding his nose. SkullMeramon took advantage of his opponent's state and leaped, stomping down on his unarmored arm.

XXX

"AHH!" Kazuya screamed. He collapsed to the ground holding his nose. Everyone gathered around him in concern.

"Kazuya, are you all right?" Sakura asked in concern.

Kazuya slowly rose to his feet but suddenly a sharp pain erupted in his arm. It fell limp for a moment before he managed to raise it up.

"_What's going on?_" Kazuya thought to himself. "_It's like I'm feeling someone else's pain._"

Kazuya looked toward the base again. "_NeoGenkimon?_" He asked.

XXX

"Kazuya!" said NeoGenkimon, as he rolled to his feet to avoid SkullMeramon's flaming fist.

"Don't think you can dodge me for long bunny, because the outcome is going to be the same." SkullMeramon sneered.

"Yeah, you're going to die." NeoGenkimon responded.

"Heavy Metal Flame!" SkullMeramon breathed a steady flame towards NeoGenkimon. The beast warrior digimon leapt into the air, but SkullMeramon simply followed him, changing the flow of the flame. NeoGenkimon charged up another Mach Rush. The flames licked his body, the aura helped deal with the pain. He then felt something wrap around his body, as the chains pulled him down toward SkullMeramon. Charging up his aura, NeoGenkimon shattered the chains and immediately began to unleash his attack on SkullMeramon.

The two Ultimates traded punches and kicks in a rapid manner. Both of them ceased when they both delivered a punch to each other's face. As he fell back, SkullMeramon felt a piece of his masked face crack.

Outside, the odd feeling Kazuya was feeling had now increased. He breathing became heavy as he gripped his chest.

"Kazuya, is everything okay?" asked Sakura.

Kazuya did not answer her. Instead he tried to focus his thoughts. For a moment he said nothing until he finally figured it out.

"I can feel NeoGenkimon." said Kazuya.

"What are you talking about, goggleboy?" Jun asked in confusion.

Again Kazuya did not answer and instead he continued to focus his thoughts.

XXX

As he fought, a wave of feeling overcame NeoGenkimon. He could of sworn he could feel Kazuya.

"Wait a moment! I can feel Kazuya!" NeoGenkimon realized.

"What are you babbling about!?" SkullMeramon demanded.

NeoGenkimon stood there with a bold expression. "My partner has shared his courage with me and now we fight as one!" NeoGenkimon said, triumphantly.

SkullMeramon laughed. "Oh please. That is so corny!"

SkullMeramon's laughter ceased when he saw NeoGenkimon rush toward him. SkullMeramon was hit with a volley of punches. Outside, Kazuya was doing the same thing. Everyone wondered what their goggle headed leader was doing, but decided to leave him alone, fearing he may have gone crazy.

Inside the hanger, the battle raged on. SkullMeramon couldn't defend against NeoGenkimon's attacks. NeoGenkimon punched and kicked SkullMeramon with another "Mach Rush". He then grabbed SkullMeramon by the leg, swinging him around then tossing him towards the Blimpmon, followed by an "Aura Laser". The Blimpmon deleted, both from NeoGenkimon's attack and the force of SkullMeramon bursting through it. Outside, the remains of the "Aura Laser" shot out of the base, surprising everyone present. Kazuya stood there, his arms in the same motion as NeoGenkimon's.

SkullMeramon slid across the floor. Groaning, he rose to his feet.

"You know, I didn't expect you to be this weak, now that we're the same level." said NeoGenkimon.

SkullMeramon's entire body went up in flames. "YOU ARE NOWHERE NEAR MY LEVEL!"

SkullMeramon charged forward, screaming all the way. NeoGenkimon stood there. So enraged was SkullMeramon that he didn't notice or care that NeoGenkimon's right arm was glowing with the sapphire colored aura. Both Kazuya and NeoGenkimon pulled their fists back. At that point, both human and digimon were in perfect synch.

"DIE!!!!" SkullMeramon screamed.

With a yell, Kazuya and NeoGenkimon unleashed their combined force.

"Chi Fist!" Their voices mixed with each other, as a blaze of sapphire light filled the hanger.

Outside, Kazuya relaxed himself with a cocky smirk on his face. "It's done." was all that Kazuya said.

XXX

NeoGenkimon stood there with his fist outstretched. Smoke trailed off of it, curling upwards. SkullMeramon was right in front of him. His face was contorted in shock and pain. Where his abdomen once was, there was now a large gaping hole. NeoGenkimon smiled to himself.

"No…t…ba….d." SkullMeramon choked.

NeoGenkimon was surprised that SkullMeramon could still speak. The evil digimon's body started to ripple and distort as he was nearing deletion.

"But..I…won't…go…a….loo…ne." SkullMeramon choked.

"Huh?" NeoGenkimon asked.

A smile formed on SkullMeramon's cracked face. "If…I…go….I…am….taking…..you….with me."

SkullMeramon began to laugh. At first it was weak, but soon it grew into the insane cackle that everyone had come to know. His body began to distort with data as flames spurted out of his body. NeoGenkimon took a step back raising his fists. Outside, Kazuya sensed an ominous feeling.

"Everyone get back!" Kazuya shouted, lowering his goggles. Everyone obeyed and ran back.

Back inside the base, NeoGenkimon raised his aura. In an instant, SkullMeramon exploded in a burst of data and flame, unleashing a kamikaze attack. NeoGenkimon raised he aura, yelling as the flames engulfed him. A dome of flame covered the entire base, sending flaming debris everywhere. Explosions and the sound of collapsing metal rang out.

"NeoGenkimon!" Kazuya yelled.

The dome soon disappeared, revealing the broken remains of the base. The digidestined couldn't believe it. They had won. SkullMeramon was no more. Everyone was happy, except Kazuya. He couldn't sense NeoGenkimon any more.

He ran towards the remains of the base. Everyone ran and shouted after him. Kazuya ignored them. Right now he was only concerned for his partner. When he reached the base, he was about to dig through the metal when Tiamon landed in front of him.

"Touch that metal and you'll burn your hands off!" Tiamon scolded. The dragon digimon flew up and flapped her membranous wings in an effort to cool down the metal. Once she felt it was cool enough, she began to swipe at the debris making it easier to clear things away. As soon as she was done, Kazuya leapt up and frantically began to dig.

"Come on you guys. Help me!" Everyone began to help Kazuya in his search for his digimon. However, the search was beginning to yield no results. In frustration, Kazuya banged the ground.

"Hey, I smell a digimon!" Labramon exclaimed.

Everyone looked to find her sniffing a pile of metal. "Right here!" Labramon said, pointing with her paw.

Kazuya practically leapt with joy, as he ran to the pile. He frantically began to dig, although it was not easy by himself.

"Let me help." said Sakura. She joined Kazuya and upturned various metal pieces. Soon, they spotted something grey and bluish colored. Kazuya grabbed it, pulling out a small, round digimon. The digimon looked like a grayish blue sphere. The Gazimon like ears tipped them off as to who it was. A small moan escaped the digimon as it opened up its sly looking eyes.

"Kazuya?" It asked in a small voice.

"Gazimon!" Kazuya said, joyfully

Sakura pulled out her digimon analyzer, showing it to Kazuya. "Actually." She said

Digimon: Pagumon

Level: In-Training

Attribute: Data

Type: Micro

Attacks: Bubble Blow

"Why did he get smaller?" asked Sho.

"I guess he used up so much energy, he devolved." said Chiisi.

Pagumon looked around, confused.

"I won, right?" He asked.

"You bet! You kicked his fiery butt!" Kazuya exclaimed.

The sound of twin laughter rang out, as Kazuya began to toss Pagumon into the air. The small digimon landed near Kazuya's feet.

"You guys should have seen it, I was awesome!" Pagumon boasted.

Tiamon walked up to the small digimon. "I have to admit, you were rather impressive." Tiamon complemented.

A toothy grin formed on Pagumon's face. "Well, my sweet honey, he was dealing with the greatest fighting machine in the Digital World!"

Pagumon then hopped up towards Tiamon. "Say darling, how's about a little kiss?" asked Pagumon.

"Kiss?" Tiamon said, twitching.

"Yeah. Plant those scaly lips right here." Pagumon said, puckering up.

Instead of a kiss, the In-Training digimon was met with a blast of smoke as Tiamon snorted heavily onto him. Pagumon erupted into a fit of coughing. Kazuya picked up his partner avoiding the puffs of smoke he was coughing up.

"Can't blame a cough guy for cough trying huh?" Pagumon asked.

XXX

Far from the base site, a figure looked on. The only thing he had seen was the blaze of fire, but he could sense what had transpired.

"So, it seems he has fallen." Duskmon said to himself.

With that, the dark digimon vanished to deliver his report.

To be continued……

With this the SkullMeramon arc comes to a close. As for the next arc, well let's just say things might get a little dark. I will continue to write as much as I can, but I have to also work on my novel idea and the final project before my college graduation as well. But fear not. No matter how long it takes me, I intend to finish this story. Until the next update……


	20. Chapter 20

The base of SkullMeramon was now derelict. What was once tall and opposing, was now a shadow of its former self. Anyone who wandered by it could only imagine what had happened there. The stray Goblimon that had managed to escape saw the explosion from earlier. They had a guess as to what had happened, but they were too busy celebrating SkullMeramon's death to care for long.

Speeding across the terrain was some sort of jeep. Inside Jun was operating the wheel. In the seat next to her, Penguinmon shrank back into his seat in fear of his partner's driving abilities. Sho was in the same condition as the bird digimon while Chiisi and DemiDevimon hardly seemed affected. Behind them, Labramon tried her best to stay still, as she was tossed around like a salad.

Above them, Tiamon flapped her wings at a steady pace. On her back, she carried the trio of Sakura, Kazuya, and Pagumon. Sakura held on tightly to the base of her digimon's neck. Looking down, she saw the speeding jeep. She felt sorry for the others below. Even though she had not ridden with them due to being captured at the time, from what she had heard from Kazuya, Jun's driving skills were something to be feared.

Sakura looked behind her with a smile. Kazuya was busy cleaning off Pagumon. The small In-Training digimon was a bit dirty from having Tiamon snorting her blast of smoke on him.

"There, done." Kazuya said, finishing.

"Thanks buddy, but my eyes still sting a bit." Said Pagumon, as he looked up at Kazuya with watery eyes.

Kazuya gave a small laugh. "Well, don't go around demanding kisses and I think there won't be any problems."

Pagumon stared at his partner as if he were crazy. "Now that is asking a bit too much." Said Pagumon.

The ball like rabbit mon turned towards the sky with a proud look on his face. "Besides, someone as cool, heroic, and awesome like me deserves a reward."

Pagumon looked ahead and called out. "Hey Tiamon, the kiss offer is still up!"

A loud snap filled the air as Tiamon's tail swung like a whip. Pagumon now wore an angry red mark on the space between his ears.

"You never learn, do you?" Kazuya sighed.

"Giving up is not my attitude." Replied Pagumon.

Shaking her head Sakura turned her head forward. Again, they had triumphed over an enemy, but she had to wonder whom they would face next.

XXX

Duskmon had anticipated Demon's reaction to hearing of SkullMeramon's death. So far, his anticipation was correct. He stayed back near the shadows trying to avoid the flames that illuminated the room as Demon evoked his wrath on anything visible.

Never had Duskmon seen the demon lord so angry, not that he was not used to seeing Demon's wrath. Demon had such faith in SkullMeramon's ability that the surprise of his death ignited his anger.

Duskmon narrowly evaded the flames that shot out of Demon's claws. However, the dark digimon could only dodge so much. Slowly, out of the doorway, Lilithmon entered, the black digitama grasped in her arms.

"What's all this noise?" Lilithmon asked.

Duskmon landed right beside Lilithmon. The flames had grazed his right shoulder.

"Oh, Demon is having one of his tantrums." Replied Duskmon.

The flames subsided as Demon stopped for the moment.

"Those wretched humans and their digimon pets killed SkullMeramon!" Demon roared.

"Oh, he's dead? Hmm…didn't know you cared so much." Lilithmon said slyly.

Demon whirled his angry face towards the sultry digimon.

"I take it personally when my servants are killed and plans are ruined." Retorted Demon.

Demon clenched his fist, flames escaping as he did. A growl emanated from his throat. Now he knew he had underestimated those children. Turning, Demon stomped away.

"I need to plan." Said Demon, before he disappeared deep into the confines of the castle.

"Oh perfect. When he gets like this things become slow around here." Lilithmon said with a dull tone.

At that moment, Duskmon came to a decision. "Perhaps it's time I stepped in. After all those humans are becoming a nuisance." Said Duskmon.

Duskmon turned toward the open doorway and soon vanished into the darkness.

"Men." Lilithmon exclaimed, stroking the black digitama.

XXX

The digidestined shortly arrived at the rebel base. Since they had left from there, the return trip was not a problem. By the time they had arrived, the sun was starting to set, painting the sky a lovely shade of orange.

As they neared the swamp entrance, the pathway to the garage opened up as if on cue. The jeep rolled inside. Tiamon landed near the entrance and allowed Kazuya, Sakura, and Pagumon to descend from her back. Seeing that she had yet to devolve, Tiamon decided to stay outside.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay out here with you?" Asked Sakura.

Tiamon gave a low chuckle. "I'll be fine Sakura, you go inside." Responded Tiamon.

The dragon digimon lay down on her belly. "Besides, I will keep on eye out in case there are any surprise attacks." Said Tiamon. She stretched her wings, and limbs with a yawn. "And I could use a little rest."

"When you do devolve, remember I'm waiting for you, my sweet honey!" Pagumon called, before following the two humans inside.

Tiamon sighed in annoyance. Knowing Gazimon or should she say Pagumon's ego, the small digimon would brag about his victory to everyone within earshot.

As the trio entered the garage, they caught sight of the jeep. The once sturdy looking vehicle now looked like it had gone through a tornado. The bumper fell off to further emphasize the situation. Jun and the others stepped out. Well, in Labramon's case, she rolled out dizzily before collapsing.

Jun looked over the vehicle. "They should really make this sturdier." She said.

"Maybe you should have driven more carefully, Jun." Said Penguinmon.

"My baby, what did they do to you!?" Everyone turned to see Datamon and Prariemon standing near the doorway leading out to the hallway.

Datamon's mouth hung open as he stared at the broken down jeep. He floated over to it, putting one hand on its scratched paint revealing the metal beneath.

"I-it's alright. A little paint, a few spare parts, and you'll be as good as new. That's right, good as new." Datamon said, giving a small, hysteric laugh.

Prariemon put her clawed gauntlet paw to her face in embarrassment at her boss's display of emotion.

"How embarrassing." Said Chiisi.

Kazuya stepped forward, placing a hand on Datamon a bit sympathetically. Datamon turned. His organic eye was large and watery as if he was about to cry.

"Um, sorry about your car, but on a more positive note we beat SkullMeramon!" Said Kazuya, trying to cheer up the cyborg digimon.

His plan worked as Datamon completely forgot about his destroyed vehicle.

"Really? That's great!" Datamon exclaimed happily. He then whirled around facing Prariemon.

"Go inform everyone that we finally did it!" Said Datamon.

Before Prariemon could leave, Pagumon hopped between everyone.

"Hold on! Hold on! I was the one who killed him, so naturally I deserve some recognition here!" Pagumon proudly proclaimed.

Datamon and Prariemon looked astonishingly at the In-Training digimon.

"You devolved?" Prariemon said in surprise.

"Hmm, why don't you all tell me exactly how this went down?" Said Datamon.

The digidestined (mostly Kazuya). Explained what had happened. After hearing the story, Datamon and Prariemon's amazement had increased, since hearing about the evolution of NeoGenkimon.

"This is incredible. Normally it takes years for a digimon to evolve into an Ultimate and some digimon remain at the Champion stage or lowered for their entire lives." Said Datamon.

Datamon began to ponder this new development. What also intrigued him was the apparent connection Kazuya mentioned. However, he briefly dismissed it for the time being, for now was a time for celebration.

"Prariemon, go inform the staff and inform our fellow rebels across the Digital World." Datamon ordered.

Prariemon flashed a smile before she ran off. Datamon and the others followed shortly behind her. The moment they entered the command room, all of the Kokuwamon and Hagurumon broke out into cheers. Immediately they left their consoles or whatever machine they were working at. It was not because they hated work (which they did not); instead, it was a great relief and joy to find that all of their hard work and efforts had paid off.

"Wow, they certainly had a change in demeanor." Said Sakura, noticing the joy of the mechanical digimon.

Datamon chuckled. "Hey, sometimes workaholics need to take a breather now and then. However, if it were not for you kids we probably would not have succeeded. On behalf of everyone here I want to thank you." Said Datamon.

"Hey no problem. Just doing our job." Said Kazuya.

Everyone then heard the sound of a growling stomach. Instinctually, they looked at Labramon.

"Wasn't my tummy, but I am hungry." Said Labramon.

"Down here!" Pagumon piped up.

Pagumon was hopping up and down his ears flopping with the motion. "How about some food for the hero?" Asked Pagumon.

"Heh, I forgot that In-Training digimon can be bottomless pits." said Datamon.

Jun put her hand on Labramon, ruffling her fur. "I seriously doubt anyone can match the mutt's appetite." Said Jun.

Labramon pulled her head away, softly growling at Jun. Jun snickered in response. Labramon simply hmmphed and moved closer to Sho.

"Don't worry, you won't have to worry about that." Said Datamon. Datamon called to a Hagurumon, who floated over to him.

"Take this Pagumon to the medical bay." Datamon ordered.

"I'm not sick, I'm hungry!" Pagumon retorted.

"Relax, he's just going to give you an energy pellet. It will help curb your hunger and restore the energy you lost." Datamon replied.

Although feeling that he deserved far more lavish treatment, Pagumon followed the Hagurumon to the medical bay.

Out of one of the back rooms, Prariemon stepped through. Her face had a bit of worry to it.

"Oh, I see you're done." Said Datamon.

"Yes. I managed to alert the bases in Server and Directory, but for some reason, there's some interference at the File Island base." Said Prariemon

"Probably just some technical glitch they're having." Datamon dismissed.

"I don't know." Prariemon began. However, as she stepped toward the group, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"What's that stench?" She asked disgustedly.

Sho pointed directly down at Labramon. Labramon looked up at Sho and then sniffed herself. "I don't see the problem." She said innocently.

"I don't understand how any of you can stand this smell!" Exclaimed Prariemon.

"If I could I would give her a bath." Said Sho.

Prariemon looked hesitant for a moment before finally giving in. "Alright I suppose you can use my bathroom. Come on I'll show you." Said Prariemon.

"But I don't wanna take a bath." Labramon protested.

"Labramon you didn't have a problem at the inn." Sho countered.

"That was only when you and I were together!" Labramon retorted.

Labramon sat on the ground defiantly. Seeing that she was not going anywhere, Sho and Prariemon started to push and pull Labramon.

"No I don't wanna bath!" Labramon protested as she was dragged down the hall disappearing from sight.

"Again, that could be embarrassing." Said Chiisi.

For once Datamon could relax now that their job was finished for now. Suddenly, he remembered what he wanted to try.

"Excuse me Kazuya, may I ask a request from you?" Asked Datamon.

"Shoot." Said Kazuya.

"One moment please." Said Datamon disappearing into the back room. He soon came out holding a needle syringe.

"What are you doing with those?" Kazuya asked fearfully.

Holding the needles up high a gleam could be seen in Datamon's robotic eye. "I was hoping I could get a sample of your blood. You see, I have always had an interest in human DNA and now that a digicore merged with your body, this could be interesting." Said Datamon

Kazuya took a few steps back. His face contorted in fear.

"Now which arm do you want, the right or the left?" Asked Datamon.

Screaming, Kazuya immediately hid behind Sakura. "Keep that away from me!" Kazuya screamed.

Chiisi rolled his eyes at the scene. DemiDevimon snickered at seeing the teenage boy's reaction.

"Come on, lets see some blood!" DemiDevimon cheered.

"You keep quiet!" Kazuya shouted.

Datamon inched closer to Kazuya who simply pointed to the other kids.

"Why don't you pick one of them, they have digicores too!?" Kazuya frantically asked.

"Ah, but you're the only one who has used his, so therefore it could effect you differently." Datamon looked at the others kids. "I need to compare it with another willing volunteer's blood." He said.

Kazuya still hid behind Sakura whose face was now flushed red. Sighing, Chiisi walked up raising his left hand.

"I'll volunteer." Chiisi said. His voice bore no emotion as he said it.

Kazuya dropped his mouth in surprise. He was not about to let an eleven year old boy seem braver than him.

"On second thought, why not." Said Kazuya. He held out an open arm and rolled his jacket sleeve up, revealing the skin. Chiisi did the same thing. The two boys stood aligned with each other.

Without warning, Datamon jammed the needles into the arms of the boys. Kazuya faltered at the slight pain, as he felt the needle pierce his flesh and he nearly fainted upon seeing the syringe fill with blood. Chiisi however, just stood there, not showing any emotion. DemiDevimon watched with enthusiastic awe upon seeing the red liquid.

Behind them, Jun knelt next to Sakura. She did not say a word but her expression signified a question.

"Kazuya has always had a fear of needles." Said Sakura.

Jun looked down at Penguinmon. "Some child of courage huh?" Asked Jun.

"I would have been afraid of the needle too." Penguinmon replied.

"Of course you would." Said Jun.

Pleased with the amount he had, Datamon withdrew both of the needles.

"Ow." Chiisi said, blankly.

Kazuya dramatically held his arm, moving his fingers to see if they still worked. He sighed with relief as he saw that nothing was damaged.

Datamon held up the blood-filled syringes. If his face had been organic, it would have been showing happiness.

"I'm just going to examine these, why don't you all go relax." Datamon suggested.

Everyone nodded, deciding to take the digimon's advice. Now they wondered what exactly they should do. The Hagurumon and the Kokuwamon were busy conversing with one another.

"You know, it's such a good night, so who's up for watching the stars?" Sakura asked. To be honest, half of her wanted to check to see if Tiamon was not okay.

Seeing that they had nothing better to do at their current location, they decided to go with Sakura's idea. They left the command center behind stepping into the vast hallway. As they strolled thru the corridors, the sound of water dripping against metal could be heard. Turning a corner, they saw Sho, Labramon, and Prariemon.

Sho and Prariemon both had towels draped across their necks. Both of them looked rather damp. A few strands of Sho's hair hung out in front of his face like bangs.

"You take a swim, Sanbara?" Jun jokingly asked.

Sho and Prariemon gave annoyed glares towards Labramon.

"Labramon was rather rebellious." Said Sho.

"And she ate my bar of soap." Said Prariemon.

Labramon burped up a couple of bubbles. They floated as if they were dancing in the air. Labramon giggled and immediately began popping them with her claws one by one.

"If you would all excuse me, I'm leaving." Prariemon said rather huffily.

"She's mad." Kazuya noted.

Sho took his towel drying off his hair. "Labramon made a real mess of her personal bathroom." Said Sho.

Labramon whimpered softly, looking down at the floor in shame. "I'm sorry Sho-chan. I didn't mean to give you any trouble." Labramon apologized.

Labramon looked up at Sho, giving him a puppy dog eye's look. Her voice and face now took on a more seductive tone and look. "It's just…bathing without you in the tub is not the same." Sho backed away, while Jun snickered to herself.

"It's okay Labramon. Apology accepted." Sho said, a bit uneasy.

Labramon giggled again before burping up more bubbles.

XXX

Demon stood alone in the confines of his chamber. His wrath had completely subsided. The scorch marks on the room were the only signs of his hostility.

He had to act fast otherwise all of his planning would be for naught. Demon extended his arm forward. Soon, the sound of whirling air filled the room followed by a ripple in space. A portal opened up revealing nothing but foggy darkness behind it.

Beckoning, small wisps of darkness floated form the portal and flowed toward the blue jewel on Demon's forehead. The jewel faded to a dark grey as it absorbed the darkness. Soon, the wisps dissipated and the jewel returned to its blue color.

Demon composed himself for a moment as his body adjusted to the new power within him.

With another extension of his arm, the portal closed just as quickly as it had opened. Demon put a hand to his chest. He could feel the darkness circulating within his being. All he would have to do is master it. When that happened, no one would be able to oppose him.

"All in the Digital World will bow to me." Said Demon, clenching his fist.

For a brief moment, his eyes gave a off a dark glow.

XXX

Shortly after they reunited with Labramon, the digidestined picked up Pagumon from the medical bay. Since then, Kazuya had noticed that his digimon seemed full of energy. In fact, he was the first one to be outside claiming he could not wait to be with his precious Tiamon.

The dragon digimon was napping while the others were below. Unfortunately, for her, Pagumon's signs of affection awoke her. She had to restrain herself from whacking the perverted digimon with her tail. Although, this was mainly due to Sakura's pleading.

The entire group lay assembled under the stars gazing at the slowly rising moon.

"It's a beautiful night." Said Kazuya.

"Ah, you said it." Said Pagumon gazing at Tiamon.

Tiamon turned to scoff at Pagumon before looking up towards the sky.

"Again we kick another bad guy's ass." Said Jun.

"Hopefully we'll finally get a chance to relax." Said Sho. He was busy trying to smooth out his now frizzy hair. When the group had arrived, Sakura had asked Tiamon to give Sho a steam drying. Sho agreed, not wanting to catch a cold because of his damp clothes.

Tiamon's size had made it rather forceful. Some strands of his hair stood up and his clothes felt a little tight, but Sho was not concerned with that. His hair was starting to smooth out and he figured with a bit of walking he could wear those clothes in.

Sho, along with everyone else, felt that they could finally take a breather from saving the world.

Just then, Chiisi immediately sat up. He could feel something was coming.

"Chiisi, what's wrong?" Sakura asked in a concerned voice.

Chiisi said nothing for a moment, only gazing forward with a tense, serious look on his face.

"Something's coming." Said Chiisi.

The digimon immediately stood to attention. They too could sense something was approaching them……something dark.

XXX

Prariemon sat at a chair wondering what to do. Sometimes it was lonely being the only organic digimon in the base. She would have joined in the festivities her co-workers were indulging themselves in, but she wanted to avoid any chances of embarrassing pictures being taken of her. She decided to preoccupy herself with checking the computer systems out. Hopefully, she would find that embarrassing picture from that office party and delete it.

"Next time I'm offered champagne, I say no." Prariemon said to herself.

A blinking sound from the computer interrupted her search as she checked to see what the problem was. As she typed away, her eyes went wide with fear.

"Massive surge of dark energy and it's approaching fast!" She said.

She typed furiously at the keyboard until a camera view displayed the outside on the screen. The digidestined and their partners were displayed and in the distance something was solidifying.

XXX

The destined digimon stood ready. They had no idea what was coming, but they could tell whatever it was it was trouble. The view in front of them seemed to fade to black as a portal opened. Slowly, something stepped out. First a leg, then an arm, then the rest of the figure. The portal closed behind it, revealing what had stepped out.

From its shape it appeared to be male. He was covered head to toe in black eyeball-covered armor; save for its human like face, which only had a mouthpiece covering him. Where his hands would have been, there were only armor shaped openings, like dragon skulls. His head was adorned with a horned helmet and long blond hair spilled out beneath it.

"What is that thing?" Sho asked.

"Could it be a digimon?" Sakura asked.

Labramon sniffed the new scent. She admitted a confused whine. "I don't know. He smells different." Said Labramon.

As she said this, Labramon stared into the strange creature's piercing red eyes. "_Those eyes are so familiar._" Labramon thought to herself.

Kazuya immediately whipped out his digimon analyzer and pointed at the newcomer.

Digimon: Unknown

Level: Unknown

Attribute: Unknown

Type: Unknown

Attacks: Unknown

Underneath all of those words stood one statement. "No Data Found."

"What?" Kazuya said.

The strange creature laughed. "So, it seems your little devices can't decipher me. But to answer your questions, I am a digimon." He said.

"Alright then. Who are you?" Kazuya asked.

The digimon darted his eyes at Kazuya. The eyeballs on his armor moved in perfect synch. "I am known as Duskmon."

"Duskmon? Seems appropriate." Tiamon noted.

Duskmon looked over the group turning his head from side to side. "So I meet the children of destiny in person at last. You have fought well to defeat my brethren." Duskmon proclaimed.

Duskmon held out his arms wide. "Now come! Those that can evolve show me your power!" Said Duskmon.

Everyone stared questionable at each other. "Is this guy serious?" Jun asked.

"I see that you need some motivation." Said Duskmon. A red curved blade shot out of the opening on his right arm. Holding it back, he swung it. A red crescent beam of energy shot towards the group. It swerved toward the ground striking it with great force. Dirt and rubble upturned as a small explosion erupted.

When the dirt settled, Duskmon remained standing at the same spot. His eyes showed no sign of emotion.

"Okay, he is serious!" Said Jun.

"Guess we have no choice but to fight." Said Kazuya, holding up his digivice. Everyone else followed Kazuya's lead.

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**"

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**"

The three champions stood along with Tiamon, however Kazuya noticed that Pagumon had not evolved.

"What gives?" Kazuya asked.

"Oh yeah. That Hagurumon said that energy tablet was a little slow acting. Man I wanted to show off my awesomeness!" Pagumon complained.

Devimon scoffed at his companion's attitude. "Fighting is about maiming your opponent, not showing off." Devimon said, as he flew toward Duskmon, his claws outstretched in front of him. Just as Devimon was within clawing distance, Duskmon vanished.

"Where did he go?" Devimon asked aloud.

"Devimon above you!" Chiisi shouted.

Devimon looked up to see Duskmon floating high in the air silhouetted against the moon. Two red blades shot out of the openings on his arms. He turned them in a counter clockwise motion. The blades glowed a crimson red.

"Lunar Plasma!" Duskmon cried, rushing down towards Devimon.

Before Devimon could react, Duskmon was on him in a flash. Streaks of red flashed before Devimon as Duskmon slashed him with his blades. With a final swipe, Devimon went flying skidding across the ground painfully, before devolving back into DemiDevimon.

"DemiDevimon!" Chiisi shouted.

With a growl, Tiamon charged forward. Duskmon looked toward the oncoming dragon digimon.

"Ember Claw!" Tiamon cried.

Seeing this, Duskmon withdrew his swords and merely grabbed onto the flaming claw as if the heat had no effect on him.

"What?" Tiamon said in surprise.

With a grunt, Duskmon lifted Tiamon high into the air throwing her right across to the other side.

"He lifted her like it was nothing!" Sakura said in disbelief.

"He-e's scary" Saberdramon said, fearfully

"Don't act like a coward!" Jun spat. Saberdramon immediately stood to attention trying not to show any sign of fear to his partner.

"Look, you and the mutt attack him at once. You from the air and her on the ground." Said Jun

Agreeing with that method, Saberdramon flew up high while Shiisamon charged forward.

"TiiDaiya!" Labramon cried, shooting out energy arrows from her mane.

Quickly acting, Duskmon turned toward Shiisamon holding his arms forward. The eyes on his armor focused toward the golden digimon.

"Deadly Gaze!" cried Duskmon. Several red beams of energy were emitted from the eyes and the dragon shaped openings. The beams intensified into one single beam of energy. Shiisamon whined in pain as the beam hit her, devolving her back into Labramon.

Sho ran to his partner, holding up her head. "Labramon, are you alright!?" He asked frantically.

A lick to his cheek was his answer. "Yes Sho-chan. I'm fine, but he's too strong."

Above, Saberdramon looked on in fear. He had defeated Shiisamon with a simple energy blast. Duskmon looked up towards Saberdramon.

"Oh no, he's looking right at me!" Saberdramon said, fearfully.

Acting desperately, Saberdramon decided to attack.

"Black Saber!" the black fireballs landed and engulfed Duskmon.

A wave of relief washed over Saberdramon and everyone else. However, that wave soon passed as the blazing flames seemed to grow smaller. Sure enough, the flames were disappearing. But what made this more disturbing was that they were disappearing into Duskmon.

"He's absorbing the flames!" Said Chiisi.

As soon as he was finished absorbing them, Duskmon looked up towards Saberdramon, who was now practically shaking in his feathers. Drawing his blades, Duskmon vanished from sight, reappearing near Saberdramon's chest.

With a slash, Saberdramon dropped down in pain. He devolved back into Penguinmon as soon as he hit the ground. Duskmon landed shortly, his blades still drawn.

"Crap!" muttered Jun.

An angry roar alerted Duskmon, as Tiamon reared behind him and rammed him. Duskmon collected himself and then he and Tiamon stared each other down. Duskmon held his blades in front of him. Tiamon bared her teeth, growling.

The two then charged each other, Duskmon with his blades and Tiamon baring her teeth. In a flash the two of them struck and were on opposite sides of each other. A breeze blew by as the two stood there. With a groan, Tiamon glowed and collapsed, devolving back into Fairydramon.

"Fairydramon!" Cried Sakura. "This is horrible! He's beating our digimon." Said Sakura.

Kazuya gritted his teeth. Things were not looking good. It was then Kazuya noticed Pagumon was gone.

"Huh Pagumon?" Kazuya asked.

Kazuya looked ahead to see Pagumon was hopping furiously toward Duskmon.

"Pagumon get back here!" Kazuya yelled.

Pagumon ignored his partner for the moment. He was too mad to be reasoned with.

"Alright you walking eyeball! No one messes with my teammates, especially my sweet Fairydramon!" Pagumon proclaimed.

"Bubble Blow!" Pagumon hopped up to Duskmon's face and belched up a stream of bubbles. The bubbles hit Duskmon with little effect.

"There, how do ya like that!?" Pagumon asked cockily.

Duskmon stared down at the small pest at his feet. His response was a quick kick sending Pagumon flying. Kazuya ran holding out his arms and caught his partner like a basketball.

"Yeah, if I could evolve I would do that to you!" Pagumon boasted.

Kazuya covered his digimon's mouth. "I think it would be smart not to tick off the guy that has swords for hands." Said Kazuya.

"Was that it? I'm not impressed." Said Duskmon.

Duskmon glared at Pagumon who was trying to wriggle free from Kazuya's grasp. "As much as I would like to see your full evolved power, I must end this." Duskmon proclaimed.

Duskmon sheathed his swords and closed his eyes. Everything surrounding the area became pitch black.

"What's going on!?" Sho asked, fearfully.

"Drown in the darkness…let it overtake you until you are completely nothing." Said Duskmon.

Duskmon opened his eyes and held out his arms. "Now die!"

Right before their eyes, tentacles of darkness appeared beneath them grabbing both the humans and the digimon. Those who were conscious tried their best to fight back, but alas, it was to no avail.

"No, let go!" Chiisi screamed. Suddenly the tentacles began to writhe.

"What's this!?" Duskmon exclaimed.

Chiisi wouldn't allow him and his friends to die. Something inside him began to stir. His thoughts were of freedom and that's what he was concentrating on. The tentacles continued to writhe before disappearing completely.

Duskmon backed away in surprise. Somehow this child was countering the darkness he was controlling. Chiisi continued to concentrate. He knelt down on the darkness that was the ground and he clenched his fist. Darkness washed over everything, completely covering it. Duskmon shielded his eyes and when he opened them, the digidestined and their digimon were gone. The darkness no longer covered everything, leaving only the entrance to the swamp.

Duskmon surveyed the area making sure to see if they had truly escaped. He could not see any signs of life.

"I suppose I should report this. I doubt Demon will be happy though." Duskmon said to himself. "Oh well, this is just a setback."

Looking up towards the moon, Duskmon gave a small laugh. "Maya, it seems your little pets have a long way to go." Said Duskmon.

"Hey eyeball!" Duskmon turned, hearing a certain Brooklyn accented voice.

Duskmon looked over to see an Impmon standing near him in a groveling position.

"I just have to say, that was awesome how ya beat those human brats and der digimon pets." Said Impmon.

Duskmon looked curiously at the newcomer. "Who exactly are you?" Duskmon asked.

"Heh, I was SkullMeramon's top henchman." Impmon lied proudly.

Duskmon simply turned his back to the demon digimon.

"Hey wait, where ya going?" Impmon cried, grabbing onto Duskmon's leg.

With that, Duskmon vanished into the night unbeknownst that he was carrying some unwanted luggage with him.

XXX

Prariemon ran into the back room as fast as she could. She could not believe what she had just seen. She found Datamon in the back looking over a piece of paper.

"Datamon" Prariemon called.

Datamon did not respond, instead he continued to look at the paper he was holding.

"Look, I don't care if you're busy, but the Digidestined are gone. This strange digimon attacked them and they got swallowed up by kami-sama knows what." Said Prariemon.

Her boss continued to stare at the paper.

"Hey boss!" Prariemon called.

"What?" Datamon responded.

Prariemon groaned in exasperation. "What are you looking at anyway?" Praiemon asked, looking over at what Datamon was holding.

"Oh, just the results I got from studying the blood from those kids." Said Datamon.

"Blood? You're not thinking about trying cloning again, are you?" Prariemon asked.

"No, no that was just a phase. Besides, I was only thinking about trying cloning last time. Not actually doing it." Said Datamon.

Datamon held up the papers, which were obviously the results of the blood sample studies.

"I went over the results from two of the digdestined to see if the digicores had any effects on them." Said Datamon.

"And?" Asked Prariemon.

Datamon nodded and looked at his results. "The results from the goggle headed one showed nothing. I found no signs of any irregularities. Guess the digicores are more of a spiritual department." Datamon began. "However, the results from the child in black showed something very interesting."

"Interesting?" Prariemon asked.

"I found traces of data perfectly mixed within the blood." Said Datamon.

Prariemon raised her eyes in surprise. "So what, the digicores have an effect?" She asked.

"No. I may not know much about human genealogy, but the data was mixed in perfectly……almost as if it was always there."

To be continued.


	21. Chapter 21

Salvage

The tides moved in and out. Deep beneath the ocean, he waited. He was the lord of all that was and all who lived in this world. Suddenly, he felt something. There were ten of them. He recognized five of the scents as humans, while the other five were digimon. However, one of the scents smelled different. He recognized that scent all too well. It was the scent of darkness.

"It is time." He said, his voice deep and guttural.

He held his right arm up, or rather a large tentacle where an arm should be. "My servants come to me." He beckoned.

For a moment, he waited. Three small shapes swam before him answering their master's call.

"Yes our lord." The figures answered in unison. Their voices were distorted and inhuman.

"My servants, he has come at last, the one who shall be the harbinger of darkness." He said.

The servants paid close attention to their master. This was the moment they had been waiting for, and they were eager to help their master fulfill it.

"Bring him to me, but remember no harm shall come to him." He said. "As for the others, kill them."

The servants bowed their heads and swam off to do the master's bidding.

As his servants left, the master proceeded to wait. His patience knew no limit.

--

Chiisi slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry as he tried to look at his surroundings. The blurriness soon faded and sights greeted him.

"This place!?" Chiisi said in surprise at his surroundings. He was in some sort of forest but what shocked him was that everything had a grey tint to it. He looked up at the sky and instead of a bright blue of morning, or a pitch black of night, there was nothing but grey.

In fright, he stumbled around. His shoes then felt something other than the ground.

"Ow!" A voice surprised Chiisi. He looked down to see what, or rather whom he had stepped on.

"DemiDevimon?" Chiisi asked in surprise. Chiisi was stepping on one of his digimon's wings pinning him down.

DemiDevimon looked up to see his partner. "Kid?" he asked.

Chiisi took his foot off his partner. DemiDevimon rose to his talon feet and flapped up to Chiisi, perching himself on Chiisi's shoulder.

DemiDevimon looked at his surroundings without the slightest hint of shock or amazement.

"So, back here again?" DemiDevimon said with a smile.

"Why are you so happy?" Asked Chiisi.

"You're not a dark digimon so you really wouldn't understand." DemiDevimon replied.

Chiisi picked up his digivice. He pushed its buttons hoping to locate the others. Thankfully, the screen displayed four colored blips. At least things were not entirely hopeless. Still, he felt disturbed. "How did I get here?" he wondered. The thought stayed with Chiisi as he vanished into the forest.

As he left, a set of glowing eyes watched him.

--

"Nice place ya got here." Said Impmon, gazing about the castle interior.

Duskmon was surprised when he found out the rookie digimon hitched a ride with him. In fact, he was a little embarrassed that he did not notice him. Duskmon soon realized that not noticing Impmon was a good thing. The rookie had already established himself as an annoying nuisance. Duskmon had half a mind to delete him but decided even Impmon was not worth the effort. Besides, he estimated that someone would kill him eventually.

"It seems that the castle is full of disturbances today." Lilithmon said suddenly striding into the room. "I can't talk a walk without something bothering me."

Impmon took one look at Lilithmon…well, more accurately, her breasts.

"Hey der toots!" Impmon said slyly.

Impmon stopped in his tracks as Lilithmon's fingernails extended close to Impmon's neck.

"Impudent worm! I am one of the three fallen angels. So show your respect." Lilithmon warned.

Impmon held up his hands. "Okay, okay whatever you say lady, I mean mistress!"

Smiling, Lilithmon retracted her fingernails. "That's better." She said.

Duskmon was surprised. Most of the time, Lilithmon seemed distant and quiet.

"So did you dispose of those humans?" Lilithmon inquired.

"Unfortunately no. They eluded me." Responded Duskmon.

Lilithmon smiled slightly. "Lucky for you, Demon is still sulking in his room."

Just then, the black digitama in Lilithmon's arms glowed for a brief moment. "Feeding time." Lilithmon recited, disappearing within the hallways of the castle.

Duskmon was glad that he would not have to face Demon's wrath but something still racked his mind…where did the digidestined go? He remembered the boy had taken control of the darkness and used it to escape, but where, he wondered. There was only one place he could think of. Deciding to try his instincts, he vanished.

Standing alone in the room, Impmon annoyingly shouted. "Hey, what am I, Numemon poop!?"

--

Chiisi did not have to go very far to find the others. He found Sakura and Fairydramon unconscious near some bushes.

"Sakura, Fairydramon wake up!" Said Chiisi, shaking his cousin and her digimon.

"Unhh Chiisi?" Sakura said, awakening.

Chiisi smiled. "Good you're awake."

Fairydramon rose shortly afterwards. As she came to, she looked at her surroundings. She shivered slightly in both fear and anticipation for oncoming danger.

"What is this place?" Fairydramon asked.

"I could ask the same question." Sakura replied.

Chiisi looked nervous as they asked. "I think it would be best if we found everyone first." Said Chiisi.

Before Sakura and Fairydramon could question anything further, DemiDevimon quipped his own thoughts. "It would be better if the whole gang was here, wouldn't you all agree?" DemiDevimon asked the two.

Both girls shrugged and nodded. Sakura held up her digivice to help aid in the search.

"Oh hey, we're in luck. Everyone else is near here." Said Sakura.

The sound of barking off in the distance alerted everyone. "That sounds like Labramon." Said Fairydramon.

As they followed the barking of their canine companion, neither Sakura nor Fairydramon could shake off the feeling of uneasiness of this place. As before, it was not a very long distance to find the rest of the party. Kazuya, Jun and their digimon were standing by a nearby tree while Labramon was standing by the tree with both of her front paws laying against it.

"Sakura! Guys!" Kazuya exclaimed, noticing the group.

"My darling, you have returned to me!" Pagumon exclaimed, noticing Fairydramon. Fairydramon ignored Pagumon. She was not in the mood to hurt him.

"Now the gang's all here." Said Jun plainly.

"But where's Sho?" Asked Sakura.

"Up here!" A voice from above answered. Everyone looked up towards the tree Labramon was pawing to see Sho hanging onto a sturdy looking branch.

Jun held back a snicker while Sakura gaped in surprise.

"Yeah, I woke up here." Said Sho.

Labramon continued to paw the tree. "Don't worry Sho-chan. As soon as I climb up, I'll save you!" Labramon said, reassuringly.

Labramon pawed at the tree furiously but the only thing she was accomplishing was scratching the bark off.

"Oh poo. I can't do it!" Labramon whined, slumping down with a defeated whine.

"Sho you're going to have to climb down." Said Kazuya.

Seeing no other way, Sho cautiously began to climb down. It was a tense moment for him as he searched for the right footing. Really, it was more of a combination of sliding and climbing. He had almost reached the bottom when he felt the bark began to peel away.

"Aggghh!" Sho yelled as he began to plummet down. Labramon could only look up as she saw her partner plummeting towards her. Sho landed hard on Labramon who went wide-eyed in pain.

"Sorry Labramon." Said Sho.

"No problem Sho-chan. Happy to be your cushion." Labramon said gritting her teeth in pain. Although her statement about happy being Sho's cushion was true.

Kazuya went to help up the pair, who slowly rose to her feet. Jun found the entire sight funny, biting her lip to keep herself from laughing.

DemiDevimon flew to the center of the group. "Now that we're all here, we can discuss our location." He said.

The rest of the party looked around then up towards the sky.

"What is this place?" Kazuya asked.

Penguinmon who had been gripping Jun's leg the entire time gripped even harder. "This place is scaring me." He said.

Jun did not scold her partner for his cowardice. This strange world was giving her the creeps as well.

"The last time the kid and I were here we were told it was "The World of Darkness." Said DemiDevimon.

"Wait a minute, you two have been here before?" Jun asked.

Everyone's eyes were on Chiisi. The boy shrank back wishing DemiDevimon had kept his mouth shut. Seeing that the only way to escape from this was to give a response, Chiisi spoke.

"He's right. We first came here back at Wisemon's place." Said Chiisi. "More accurately, his test brought us here before." Chiisi ended it there not wanting to delve into the other details.

"World of darkness is right. This place is so bland." Pagumon said hopping around. "But I think I can handle anything that is thrown at me." He quipped confidently.

"Oh, like you handled Duskmon?" Said Fairydramon.

"Ah, I didn't evolve, but if I did, he would have been toast." Said Pagumon.

"Speaking of Duskmon, what kind of digimon was he?" Sho asked.

No one had a clear answer. The analyzers could not get a reading on him and his strength was beyond any digimon they had fought.

"I'm not sure if he even was a digimon." Said Labramon. "His smell was different."

"Well what is he, human or something?" Jun said, not really being serious.

Labramon shook her head. "No, he was definitely not a human." Said Labramon. "I can't explain it. He kinda smelled like a digimon and he kinda didn't."

"That explains everything." Jun said sarcastically.

Kazuya stood in front of everyone. "Alright, I think its time we planned our next move. We're in a strange new place, and we need to prepare ourselves in case Duskmon comes back."

Labramon then started to growl. First it was soft, then it grew larger. Her fur bristled up as she bared her teeth.

"Labramon what's wrong?" Asked Sho.

"There's something here." Labramon growled. "Something bad." She continued to growl.

Pagumon and Fairydramon tensed up, prepping themselves for battle. Penguinmon gripped his partner's leg even harder. DemiDevimon on the other hand seemed at peace. Almost as if he was seeing an old friend.

In the bushes, something was indeed watching. Rather several things to be exact. The digimon could sense their presence. Now was the time to strike.

A loud shriek filled the air as three shapes descended from the bushes. Everyone stared with a mix of fear and shock at the trio of creatures before them. Their creatures appeared amphibious due to the body shape. However, the creatures were completely black in color but their skin seemed to move as if it was water. Two glowing yellow orbs sat or rather sank into their heads.

"Wh-what the heck are those things!?" Sho asked fearfully.

Everyone else held up their digimon analyzers

No data found.

"Nothing?" Kazuya questioned. Not even the basic digimon info showed up. It became apparent that these creatures were not digimon.

One of the creatures pointed a long black arm towards Chiisi.

"The boy comes with us." The creature spoke. Its voice was both deep but with a raspy whisper etched in it. Sakura defensibly covered Chiisi while the digimon (minus Penguinmon) went into attack stances.

"Those who impede in our master's bidding will die!" This time all the creatures spoke in unison. With that, they charged towards the group.

"Fairy Flame!" Fairydramon breathed a fireball at one of the creatures. It fell back as the flames hit it. Its companions however continued their trek, ignoring their fallen comrade.

Labramon leapt towards one of the creatures, knocking it back. It slowly rose to its feet before resuming its attack.

DemiDevimon held the last one back as he shot out numerous Demi Darts. The creature dodged most of them but the ones that did hit it indeed began to weaken it. Nevertheless, no matter the pain, the creature continued to attack.

"No matter how much these things get hit they keep coming back." Kazuya noted.

Fairydramon continued to spar with the one she had knocked down with her flames. The creature itself showed no sign of burning, however. Fairydramon stuck with fighting with her claws, the creature retaliating with its own. Fairydramon tried her best to keep up, but the creature was easily matching her.

"Kazuya, I can't just stand here!" Pagumon said, hopping up and down. "I'm feeling energized, if you get what I mean."

Kazuya nodded and held up his digivice. "Go!" Said Kazuya.

Pagumon hopped forward towards the battle. He was not about to let anyone harm his precious Fairydramon.

"**Pagumon evolve! Gazimon!**" The rabbit shape of Gazimon soon replaced the ball shape of Pagumon.

"Electric Stun Blast!" Gazimon shot out a ball of concentrated electricity at the creature, stunning it. He landed dramatically alongside Fairydramon.

"Miss me?" Gazimon asked, with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Hardly, but thanks." Said Fairydramon.

Gazimon smiled and set his eyes on the other two creatures.

"Pitfall!" Gazimon cried leaping towards the creature Labramon was fighting. He slashed it in a digging motion with his claws. The creature collapsed soon afterwards.

Thanks!" Said Labramon.

Gazimon nodded at her. Looking at the remaining creature, Gazimon ran on all fours firing several Electric Stun Blasts. That creature collapsed as well.

"So you finally evolve?" DemiDevimon noted.

Gazimon looked over his handiwork, smiling cockily. "Boy, am I awesome or what? What would you guys do without me?" Gazimon asked.

"We would have done fine." DemiDevimon retorted.

Gazimon breathed on his claws rubbing them against his chest. "Not the way I saw it. If it wasn't for my natural skills you would have been goners." Gazimon said cockily.

"Already his ego is back." Kazuya said, a bit embarrassed.

"Agh!" Chiisi yelled. Everyone looked back to see another creature grabbing onto Chiisi's arm.

"Please, come with us!" The creature pleaded.

"Leave him alone!" Sakura shouted beating the creature. She managed to knock it away from her cousin.

As soon as it hit the ground, more of the creatures appeared from the darkness of the forest, surrounding them on the sides.

The group looked around them. They could not fight this many so they decided to do the next best thing.

"Run!" Commanded Kazuya.

Everyone did as they were told, realizing that battling further would be pointless. Gazimon was the only one who stayed behind. He flashed his claws, smiling cockily.

"Heh, you freaks are about to fight one hundred percent digital awesomeness rolled into one little packaaahey!" Gazimon yelled, as Kazuya grabbed his digimon.

"Hey Kazuya put me down!" Gazimon wriggled in Kazuya's arms.

"Don't be stupid, we have to get out of here!" Kazuya retorted.

The group ran as fast as they could. The creatures followed behind them forming into a large mob. They dare not look back, their only goal being to leave this place. Their hope began to dwindle until they saw that up ahead, the forest began to part. The closer they got they could see what appeared to be houses

For a brief moment they stopped. Indeed an assortment of homes lay behind empty streets. Everything bore the same ugly grey color.

"Um guys!" Sho exclaimed, pointing backwards.

Everyone looked back to see the mob of black creatures moving ever so closer to them.

Ahead they spied something right in the middle of the housing. It was a large tower like building. Taking a chance, they ran towards it. Behind they could hear the creatures moving towards them with each step. Low deep growls emanating from the monstrosities. The group continued forward. The double doors of the building got within plain view. At last they reached them, opening them swiftly.

As the children and the digimon entered, the creatures stopped and retreated. Their choice however were not their own. Their master had given them a new order and they would obey without question.

--

Inside, everyone stopped to catch their breath.

"Are they following us?" Kazuya asked.

Sakura peeked behind the glass doors of the building to check. "No they're gone." Sakura replied.

Satisfied with that answer Kazuya decided not to question her further. For now, he wondered where they were. He looked about the room. Everything inside the building lacked the grey drab the outside had. The floor was a red colored carpet. A few brown wooden tables lay strewn about and near the back stood a front desk.

"If I didn't know any better I would say this is a hotel." Said Kazuya.

"Didn't we already go to a hotel? Seems like a cheat to wind up in another one."

"I thought that was an inn." Said Penguinmon.

Jun thought for a minute before nodding her head. Kazuya decided to check in the back of the desk to get some straight answers.

"Uh Kazuya?" Gazimon asked.

Kazuya looked down to see that he still had Gazimon in his arms.

"Oh sorry." Kazuya apologized setting Gazimon down. The two went behind the front desk scavenging for anything they could find.

"Hey guys, come over here!" Kazuya shouted.

The others ran up to the front desk. Kazuya and Gazimon popped up from behind it as soon as they arrived.

"What did you two find?" Fairydramon asked.

Kazuya pulled out a piece of paper. Etched on it was a transparent picture of the building they were in.

"Apparently this is a hotel according to this map." Kazuya answered.

"What would a hotel be doing in a place like this?" Sho asked.

No one had an answer for that. With all of the strange sights they had seen, the randomness did not surprise them in the least.

Kazuya surveyed the map. His face lit up in happiness at what he saw.

"Oh man! At the top of this place they have a penthouse suite!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"What's a penthouse suite?" Gazimon asked.

"It's a whole floor that's just one room and usually they're very lavish, I heard." Kazuya answered.

Gazimon's face lit up in happiness. "Sounds like my kind of place!" Said Gazimon.

Kazuya continued to look at the map. "Other than that, they got a restaurant and a pool."

"Restaurant!" Labramon exclaimed happily (and hungrily).

"Pool!" Jun exclaimed happily.

Sho grabbed his head in exasperation. "How can you guys act so happy? Those things could still be out there!" Said Sho.

Labramon sniffed the air for a moment. "Don't worry Sho-chan. I don't smell anything bad in here." Labramon said reassuringly.

Jun swiped the map from Kazuya's hands and looked it over. "That's all the answer I need. Come on Penguinmon." Said Jun.

Jun then strode towards a left adjoining hall. Penguinmon obediently followed.

"Where are you going?" Kazuya asked.

"The pool. I could use a swim." Jun answered. "Oh by the way, the map says the kitchen is down that hall and to the left." She said before leaving.

"Come on Sho-chan, lets go!" Labramon exclaimed happily before running off.

"Wait!" Sho shouted after her.

They too vanished into the hallway leaving only Kazuya, Sakura, and their digimon.

"Any one up for the penthouse?" Kazuya asked.

Gazimon fiercely nodded while the others delivered simple nods.

"Alright, there should be an elevator around here somewhere." Said Kazuya.

The elevator was conveniently placed on the side wall. Everyone entered, inside the doors closed shut as they did. The digimon were amazed as they had never been in an elevator before.

"So how does this work?" Gazimon asked.

Kazuya decided to answer by showing him. Pushing a button corresponding to the floor they wanted, the elevator started up, surprising the digimon.

"Now I see why we didn't take the stairs." Said Fairydramon.

As the elevator rose upwards, Chiisi felt a little uneasy. Not because of the elevator, but from earlier.

"Chiisi?" Sakura questioned, putting a hand on her cousin in concern.

In an instant, Chiisi felt calm. The elevator continued its ascent.

--

The elevator opened with a ding. Everyone inside stood wide eyed at the sight before them. The room before them looked as if it was fit for royalty. It appeared to be a lavish looking living room. The couch was made out of nicely sculpted wood with blue silk cushions. Several potted plants lined the walls and various paintings hung. Gazimon bolted inside excitedly, looking all aroud. Gazimon soon disappeared behind a door, leaving the others to explore the room.

"Nice, but there's no television." Kazuya commented.

"Is that all you can comment on?" Sakura asked.

Kazuya slumped his shoulders down in disappointment "I'm missing my shows." He complained.

Sakura smiled a bit. "Try to think about something else besides television. This place is really nice!" Sakura commented.

"I'll say!" Everyone turned to see Gazimon stepping out of the doorway. He appeared to be dressed in a dark velvet, green-colored, smoking jacket perfectly fit for his size.

"Looking nice there Gazimon." Kazuya commented.

"Thanks. Found it in the bedrooms here." Gazimon pointed to the room behind him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some more exploring to do." Gazimon said, waving his right claw dismissingly.

"Have you noticed Gazimon has been acting a bit cocky lately?" Sakura asked.

"Isn't he always?" Fairydramon replied with a question of her own.

"He's just excited he's back to a Rookie again." Said Kazuya.

--

Gazimon was indeed pleased with being a Rookie level digimon again. Now that he was back to being Gazimon, he had arms and legs again. If he was Pagumon he wouldn't have been able to dress himself in these nifty clothes he had found. And there was a lot to touch in this room.

The room Gazimon had stepped into had oak carved walls with a roaring stone fireplace. Across from the fireplace was a table, a recliner seated behind it. What caught Gazimon's attention was what lay on the table itself. There were four objects on the table, a long bottle with a cork in it, a wine glass, a rectangular gold object and a closed wooden box.

Gazimon picked up the bottle. Printed on the front were the words "Grape Soda." Gazimon didn't know what grape soda was but he figured that if it was in a bottle it must be a liquid. Gazimon uncorked it and poured it carefully in the wine glass. Taking it to his lips, he sipped it, licking his lips.

"Mmm very tasty." Gazimon commented.

Setting the glass down, he opened up the wooden box. Inside were several tube shaped brown sticks. He picked one up and sniffed it curiously. He found the smell pleasurable. He was unsure of what it was. He tried biting into it thinking it might be food. He took it out when he found the taste was no good. He then tried sucking on it but nothing happened.

He then picked up the golden rectangular object. He noticed that the top looked as if it could open up. With a flick, it opened, revealing a silver metal tube with a metal wheel next to it. Turning the wheel, a flame appeared, near startling Gazimon. Looking at the flame and the tube stick in his mouth, Gazimon figured he had to light it up. Therefore, he did.

Smoke rose from the end of the tube stick. Gazimon began to puff a bit. The rabbit digimon found the taste very smooth. Gazimon sucked on it drawing the smoke into his lungs. Immediately he erupted into a coughing fit dropping the tube stick onto the ground.

Gazimon was not one to give up something pleasurable and he enjoyed the taste. So he put it back in his mouth and this time he drew the smoke not so far. When he was finished, Gazimon exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Ahhh!" Gazimon sighed happily.

"Gazimon!" Gazimon turned to hear the sound of a scolding voice.

In the doorway stood an angry looking Kazuya.

"Oh, hi Kazuya. Nice place, eh?" Gazimon asked.

Kazuya was in no mood for pleasantries. "Is that a cigar in your mouth?" He asked.

Gazimon looked down at what was in his mouth, taking it out. "Cigar?" Gazimon repeated. "So that's what this is called. Yeah, it's pretty nice." He commented.

"Smoking is bad for you." Said Kazuya.

"How can it be bad?" Gazimon asked, grabbing his drink and kicking back into the recliner. Gazimon continued to puff on his cigar.

"Smoking ruins your lungs." Kazuya argued. Gazimon ignored him and continued to smoke. His face lit up in pleasure as he inhaled and exhaled. Kazuya had to move away to not be caught in the smoke.

Just then, Sakura and Chiisi, followed by their digimon, entered the room. "Kazuya, is Gazimon alright?" Sakura asked.

She stopped when she noticed Gazimon.

"It seems we know what that coughing was about." Said Chiisi.

Gazimon could see their disgust, however he choose to ignore them and continued to puff away.

"What's that foul smelling thing in his mouth?" Fairydramon asked blocking her nostrils.

"It's called a cigar. It's something that people in our world smoke and it's a very nasty habit." Sakura answered.

"They have these in your world?" Gazimon asked. He drew and exhaled another puff of smoke. "Guess I'll have to take some to your world then. Heh heh."

Kazuya was starting to become very annoyed. "Oh perfect! Now you're become a cigar chomper."

Gazimon reclined even further into his chair. "Oh relax, Kazuya my boy. All of you should try to relax more." Said Gazimon, taking a sip of his soda.

"We just have different ways of relaxing." Said Chiisi.

"Well, this is my way of relaxing. Besides, I have to be perfectly rested up in order to show my awesomeness again." Said Gazimon.

A growl emanated from Fairydramon's throat. She strode over to Gazimon, dodging the puff of smoke he had just blown out.

"If I recall we had to run away, and you never showed your so called 'awesomeness' ".

"I would have beaten them anyway." Gazimon retorted. "I have the skills." To further his point, Gazimon blew out a trail of several smoke rings. Gazimon gave a small laugh as he noticed everyone's' surprised expressions.

"You know Fairydramon, I could move over and you can sit with me." Said Gazimon. "We can talk about love." He suggested.

Fairydramon shot him a disgusted glance and turned toward the rest of the group. "Why don't we just leave him to relax?" Fairydramon suggested.

The others decided to follow her lead and followed the dragon digimon outside, closing the door behind them. Gazimon chuckled lightly and took another sip of his soda. Perhaps this was for the best. For now, he could be alone to relax and indulge himself in his thoughts of Fairydramon. He put the cigar back in his mouth and puffed before blowing another smoke ring. The ring in question formed into the shape of a heart.

--

"A cigar smoking digimon, weird." Said Chiisi.

"Surprises are normal for us." Sakura added.

Kazuya then gave a yawn. "I could use a little rest." Said Kazuya. He looked toward the open doorway to the bedroom Gazimon had stepped out of earlier. Sakura yawned as well, taking her glasses off to rub her eyes.

"Gazimon said the bedroom was in there so I guess we could take a rest." Said Sakura.

"You two rest up I'll stay out here and keep an eye on things." Fairydramon added.

Kazuya and Sakura each gave a nod before entering the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

As the pair entered, Chiisi looked at the two digimon. "If you two don't mind, I need to go be alone for a moment." Chiisi said, rather melancholy.

"You feeling alright kid?" DemiDevimon asked.

"Yes. I just need to be alone, that's all." Said Chiisi. Chiisi entered a door next to the bedroom, leaving the two digimon alone.

"Something bothering him." Said DemiDevimon.

Fairydramon raised her eye questionably. "But he said he was fine." She said.

"I know, but I'm his digimon. I can tell when something is bothering him." Said DemiDevimon.

Fairydramon had to agree with him. Yet something about this place was bothering her as well.

--

The servants waited for their master's orders. For some reason he had instructed them to stop chasing the humans and their digimon, but now they saw why. So enticed by comfort, the humans would not expect them. As their master delivered his new orders, their heads bobbed up.

"We obey, our lord." The creatures said in deep reverence.

--

Kazuya and Sakura had entered the bedroom but they had come across a problem. There was only one bed. It was large enough for two people so they would have to share it.

"Guess we'll each take a side then?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, of course. There's no problem with two friends sharing a bed, right?" Kazuya asked hesitantly.

The two laughed weakly and nervously at each other. They both knew they were just friends, but the thought of staying in the same bed almost made it feel like it was more than that. Putting their thoughts aside, they each lay down and started to let their minds drift. The mattress was amazingly comfortable. In fact, it had to be the most comfortable bed they had ever slept in.

"Getting really sleepy." Kazuya yawned. "You?" He asked Sakura.

"Mmm hmm." Sakura agreed with a yawn.

In mere moments, the two teenagers were fast asleep. As they slumbered, a twin pair of shadows descended upon them.

--

Fire surrounded Kazuya on all sides. The distance sounds of sirens and screams could be heard form beyond the walls of flame. Explosions from overturned cars caused him to jump in fright.

"_Kazuya._" A voice called out to him. In the distance, Kazuya could make out a shadow.

"_Kazuya._" The voice beckoned again. Listening closely, Kazuya recognized the voice.

"Sakura!" He yelled running towards the figure. The closer he neared, the more he could make out the figure. When he approached it, he could see that it indeed was Sakura, albeit with her back turned to him.

"Sakura?" Kazuya asked.

Slowly the head turned and Kazuya nearly vomited at what he saw.

Sakura's face was heavily burnt, revealing blackened bone and blistered muscle. Her left eye was completely gone, puss oozing out of the empty socket.

"_Oh Kazuya, I'm ssso glad to ssssee you._" Sakura said, although the voice was now more of a raspy hiss.

Kazuya backed away in fear, but Sakura grabbed tightly onto his arm.

"Let go!" Kazuya yelled, struggling in her grasp.

"_Don't fight it Kazuya, you know you love me ssoo letsss be together. Let the flames consssume ussss._"

--

Sakura walked along the metal grating. She looked around nervously wondering where she was. From inspection, it appeared to be some kind of boiler room. Pipes lined the area and metal walkways lay suspended above her. Sakura wanted to call out to see if anyone was there, but logic argued with her not to. Just then, the rapping of feet against metal echoed out.

"Who's there?" Sakura asked, before clamping her mouth shut.

The rapping of metal echoed out again as Sakura felt something behind her. She turned hesitantly to see what was coming. Slowly from a corner, a figure stepped out. Sakura's face lit up in relief when she saw who it was.

"Kazuya, I'm so glad..." She began but stopped when she noticed that Kazuya did not look like himself.

The only clothing Kazuya was wearing was his blue jeans although they had been practically ripped to shreds. His chest was bare only now it seemed thin and sickly looking with several scars across it. His hair was now long and matted hanging down to about his waist. The familiar silver-rimmed goggles adorned his head, although the glass was completely cracked and broken. His right hand was behind his back as if he was hiding something.

"Kazuya?" Sakura asked.

Kazuya stared at Sakura with a blank smile. He pulled out a large butcher knife from behind his back. He pointed the knife at Sakura that blank expression still on his face.

Kazuya then smiled wide and creepily. He pressed the knife into his chest and slowly ran it across, leaving a trail of blood as it went.

Sakura gasped in shock and horror as she watched the display of self-mutilation.

"Pain is only an illusion." Kazuya began. "In time it passes, but eventually it leads to something beautiful."

"Kazuya what are you talking about?" Sakura asked, fearfully.

The boy only looked at her. His smile still lay plastered on his face as if the knife had left no pain at all. "Why…death." Kazuya replied.

"Death is the ultimate state. There is no conflict or dispute, only an infinite state of peace." Mused Kazuya. Then Kazuya raised the knife high above his head.

Sakura slowly stepped backwards. Her eyes remained focused on Kazuya.

"Sakura my dear, we can't hide our feelings. Let us sleep together in death." Said Kazuya.

Without warning, Kazuya slashed the knife towards her. Sakura ducked away in time, the knife only hit her glasses, knocking them off her face. The sound of shattered glass could be heard as they hit the floor. Sakura started to crawl away as fast as she could, but Kazuya kept coming.

"Don't be afraid my sweet, soon I will join you in the sweet endless abyss."

--

Chiisi ran the water over his face. The room he had entered was a basic bathroom. Not the most normal of places to be alone, but right now he would take anywhere. He played the recent events out in his head. He had thought he had seen the last of this world the last time he was here but apparently, that was too much to hope for.

Although this place did initially give him the creeps, he had to admit he was slowly finding peace in this dark dreary world.

Something then hit his eardrums. It sounded almost like a drop of water. Chiisi turned to the bathtub, covered by the shower curtain. The dripping became louder until he felt he had stepped into something wet. He looked down to see a small pool of black colored water.

His eyes grew wide in fear as he instinctually opened up the shower curtain. His fear increased when he saw the tub completely filled with black water! Before he could do anything, two long watery hands emerged and grabbed him. He tried to struggle, but it was no use as he was dragged under.

--

Since the others had left him alone, Gazimon continued to lay back in the recliner, puffing away on his cigar and sipping his drink, only getting up to refill it.

"Ah, now this is the life!" Gazimon said, blowing a puff of smoke. "The only thing missing is my sweet Fairydramon."

A giggle alerted the rabbit mon to the doorway. Standing at the entrance was Fairydramon. She was standing in a rather seductive pose. She waved at him with her fingers and he waved back.

Fairydramon sauntered over to him waving, her tail in motion.

"Say, what are you doing here?" Gazimon asked.

"Oh, just seeing the most handsome, talented hunk in the entire Digital World." Replied Fairydramon.

Gazimon gulped in amazement. He was surprised by Fairydramon's statement, but he was even more surprised when the dragon mon crept onto the recliner, pinning him against it. Gazimon's heart raced as she ran her claw playfully against his furry cheek. She then plucked the cigar out of his mouth and dropped it on the ground.

She stared into his eyes for a long time before Gazimon knew what Fairydramon wanted to do.

Gazimon smirked. "Glad you finally came to your senses, my sweet honey." Gazimon said, before he and Fairydramon locked in a kiss.

Gazimon had envisioned and dreamt about Fairydramon kissing him, but for some reason this was not as he envisioned. The kiss felt hollow and empty. When the kiss began, he had closed his eyes but now he opened them. To his shock, Fairydramon's eyes wee completely yellow. Now he could tell that this was not his sweet Fairydramon. He tried to get away but he could not move! The air in his lungs slowly started to disappear.

--

"Hello!" Labramon called loudly in the empty restaurant.

There was not a soul to be found. The tables and chairs were bare, not even a glass or plate could be found. A loud rumble filled the area. Labramon looked down at her stomach, the source of the rumbling. Labramon looked up at Sho with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Sho-chan, if I don't get some food, I'm going to waste away!" Labramon said, waving her paw dramatically.

Sho kept his eyes on surveying the area. "I highly doubt missing one meal will make you die of starvation." Said Sho.

"But I am starving!" Labramon whined.

"Calm down. Why don't we go check out the kitchen?" Sho suggested.

Labramon perked up, wagging her tail. Sho and Labramon went in the back where they assumed the kitchen was. Sure enough, they were right. The kitchen itself consisted of a large wooden table for chopping meat, fruits and vegetables. A cleaver was stuck in the wood. Stationed between several cabinets was a large fridge.

"Oh boy! Oh boy!" Labramon said excitedly upon seeing the fridge. Labramon nudged Sho's hand with both excitement and affection. Getting the message, Sho opened the refrigerator door. The light from inside illuminated the kitchen. Labramon wagged her tail excitedly, her mouth watering in anticipation of the food she would eat. The fridge was full to the brim with fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, and breads.

"This is all the food?" Labramon asked disappointedly. "Oh well. It will have to do for a snack." Labramon added cheerfully.

"You consider this a snack?" Sho asked in disbelief.

Labramon nodded her head. Sho could not believe it. He knew Labramon had an enormous appetite but he never realized how enormous it truly was.

"At least give me a piece of fruit." Said Sho.

The immediate sounds of munching were Sho's answer as Labramon began to feast. Cores, bones and plastic wrappers flew out of the fridge as Labramon stuffed herself with whatever she could fit into her mouth. With the amount she was forcing down her throat, Sho was afraid Labramon would choke.

"Gack!" Labramon started making a funny noise from her throat. She pawed at the bulge in her throat, her face starting to turn blue underneath her fur.

Sho rushed to Labramon's side and immediately did the Heimlich Maneuver.

With a cough, Labramon spit out a large piece of bread, moist from her saliva.

"Labramon, you need to be careful." Sho began. His concerned look turned to disgust when he saw Labramon wolf down the piece of bread she just spat out.

Seeing Sho's disgust, Labramon reached into the fridge and pulled out a dark green apple, holding it by the stem, not letting any of her teeth touch it. She held it up to Sho, who took it.

"That's a thank you for being my hero, unless you want me to thank you another way?" Labramon said, fluttering her eyes.

"Uh, no thanks. The apple is fine." Sho replied, flushing red.

Labramon giggled and went back to eating.

Sighing to himself, Sho began to eat his apple. Sho's lips puckered as he bit into it. He enjoyed things that had a tart or sour taste to them. Labramon looked around the fridge trying to decide what to eat next. A white container caught her eye. Curious, she grabbed it with her teeth, pulling it out. Setting it down on the floor, she flicked it open revealing small white eggs. Labramon was about to eat them when she thought. "What if these are digimon eggs?"

"Um, Sho-chan, what kind of eggs are these?" Labramon asked.

"Oh, those are chicken eggs." Sho replied.

Satisfied with that answer, Labramon dove in and a loud crunch filled the room. Instead of breaking open the eggs and feasting on the yolk, Labramon was eating the whole egg, shell and all.

Sho was about to scold Labramon when he noticed something. He looked around Labramon's mouth, but instead of yolk, her mouth had a red goopy liquid around it. Almost like blood. Sho hesitantly looked closer until he realized it WAS blood!

"Labramon stop eating!" Sho screamed, pulling Labramon back from the egg carton.

"What's the matter with you Sho-chan? I'm still hungry!" Labramon whined.

"Look around your mouth!" Shouted Sho.

Labramon put a paw to her lips and noticed the blood now dripping from it. Labramon gave a terrified yelp as she backed away. She looked down at the egg carton to see the bits of shell and the drops of blood she had dripped on the floor. Labramon was then alerted by a yell from Sho. Sho had thrown the apple down, terrified. Labramon did not even have to ask as she now saw what Sho was terrified of. Slowly, a long worm slithered out of the core of the apple. It turned toward the boy and his digimon, showing a circular row of sharp teeth. The worm creature hissed before slithering off.

"I think we should go!" Sho said, frantically.

Labramon whimpered in response. As they turned to leave, the pair noticed one thing, the cleaver was missing.

"Where is-" Sho began.

"Look out!" Labramon shouted, pushing Sho out of the way. As he was being pushed down, Sho saw the cleaver spin through the air as if it was thrown, imbedding itself on the wall. The pair looked to see who had thrown the cleaver. To their shock and horror, it was one of those creatures from earlier. It glared at Sho and Labramon, a slow growl coming from its throat.

"Run!" Sho shouted. Labramon obeyed, following her partner out of the kitchen.

They did not get far, because as soon as they had entered the restaurant, they stopped to see that the room was filled with the same creatures from before. Slowly, all around them, the room began to change. Instead of the familiar scene of a restaurant, the walls and floors started to turn dark and evil. Instead of wood, the floors and walls became hard stone, slime slid down the walls and Labramon could feel it against her paws. Both of them were frightened but Labramon simply bared herself to protect her partner as the creatures attacked.

--

A loud splash filled the pool area as Jun did a cannonball. The girl emerged from the water shortly afterwards, water dripping down her hair.

"Man, this is so refreshing!" Jun exclaimed.

"I'll say, woo hoo!" Penguinmon said, as he splashed and swan in the cool water.

Penguinmon loved the cold water and for once throughout this whole journey, he had acted calm and peaceful. He did not even let the fact that they had nearly been killed put him down. Jun swam for a while before exiting the pool. The pool area itself was large. The water was clean and a sparkling blue. Jun was at first reluctant to swim seeing as she had no towel or bathing suit. However, she had strangely found one along with a towel. She never questioned why those were there, she was just happy she could take a swim.

"Hey Penguinmon, I swam enough, so come on, let's go." Jun commanded.

"Oh but Jun, the waters great! Can't we stay a little while longer?" Penguinmon pleaded.

"Fine, but only until I get my clothes on." Said Jun.

Penguinmon dove underneath while Jun dried herself off and dressed herself. Underneath Penginmon swam with much glee. In a flash, something swam by Penguinmon.

"Jun!" Penguinmon shouted, emerging out of the water.

"Hey, I said no looking!" Jun shouted, scrambling to get her shirt on.

"B-but there's something in here!" Penguinmon complained.

Jun rolled her eyes in annoyance. Just when she thought Penguinmon would not act like a coward, she was proven wrong.

"Look, there is nothing in there!" Jun argued.

Penguinmon was about to respond when something pulled him under!

"Penguinmon!" Jun shouted.

The area where Penguinmon had disappeared bubbled for a moment until Penguinmon emerged again.

"J-J-Jun!" Penguinmon stammered, swimming back to his partner. Jun reached for him, but a loud splash distracted her. From the water, something had leapt out. It was one of the creatures from before. It held its arms outstretched towards Jun who merely punched it in response. It sank in the water with a loud splash. Jun quickly scooped up Penguinmon who was shivering with fear.

"Jun we have to get out of here!" Penguinmon exclaimed.

"No shit!" Jun responded.

They turned to leave, but blocking the doorway were more of the same creatures.

"Ahh!" Penguinmon screamed.

Jun looked and saw that Penguinmon was not just afraid of the creatures before them, but the changing scenery. The entire pool area had changed. The porcelain tiles were now replaced with a dark slimy stone. The same could be said for the pool itself. The water had changed form blue to black. More of the creatures rose out of the water in droves leaving the pair surrounded on all sides.

--

"Something's wrong." Fairydramon suddenly said.

DemiDevimon was a bit surprised since Fairydramon had seemed clam earlier, but he too was starting to sense that something was amiss. They darted their eyes across the room anticipating anything. A slight rip alerted them as twin pairs of arms erupted from the couch. DemiDevimon and Fairydramon simply flew out of reach.

An explosion of couch cushion shreds revealed who were the assailants.

"It's those monsters again!" Fairydramon shouted.

"Let's give them a greeting!" Said DemiDevimon.

"Demi Darts!"

"Fairy Flame!"

Both the combination of the fire and the syringes wounded the creatures.

"Fairy Slash!" Fairydramon quickly clawed at the creatures. Due to being wounded, they deleted quickly.

"They deleted just like digimon?" Said Fairydramon.

"We can wonder about that later. Right now we should get the others!" Said DemiDevimon.

Fairydramon nodded in response and the two headed toward the doors containing their friends.

"I'll go help Sakura, Kazuya, and the hentai rabbit. You go after Chiisi." Said Fairydramon.

"You don't have to tell me that." Replied DemiDevimon.

The duo then entered a door. Fairydramon entered the bedroom and DemiDevimon entered the bathroom. Upon entering, Fairydramon was met with the sight of two of those dark creatures. They had their hands over Kazuya and Sakura's foreheads. The two human's were shivering, a cold sweat running down their foreheads.

"Get away from them!" Fairydramon shouted.

"Fairy Slash!" One of the creatures was deleted in an instant, as it was not prepared for the attack. The other creature provided a greater challenge however, Fairydramon managed to defeat it with a couple of "Fairy Slashes".

"Come on, wake up!" Fairydramon shook the two. Fairydramon smiled as she heard twin groans. Kazuya and Sakura quickly opened their eyes and shot up, knocking Fairydramon down with a yell.

The two looked at each other and promptly screamed.

"What's wrong with you two?" Fairydramon asked, rising to her feet.

Kazuya and Sakura briefly inspected each other before calming down.

"We have to get everyone out of here. DemiDevimon's getting Chiisi so let's get Gazimon." Said Fairydramon.

The small group soon busted down the door to the sitting room. Gazimon sat on the recliner looking rather blue in the face.

"Gazimon!" Kazuya shouted. Gazimon weakly raised his arm in response.

"Wait, is that…" Sakura trailed off, confused.

They could not believe their eyes. Standing over Gazimon was another Fairydramon. She appeared to be kissing him. That sight angered Fairydramon for some reason. The other Fairydramon was then thrown aside by the real Fairydramon. She rose to her feet showing off her yellow eyes. Gazimon gasped for air as the fake was knocked off him. The fake Fairydramon snarled and charged at the real one.

"Fairy Flame!" Fairydramon breathed several flames engulfing the fake who was now shrieking in pain. As the fake burned, her shape deformed and shifted. The draconic shape soon faded into one of those dark creatures.

"Those things just keep popping up." Said Fairydramon as the creature deleted.

"Oh, my sweet honey, you came to me!" Gazimon said, hugging Fairydramon. Fairydramon promptly pushed Gazimon away.

"Please, I just didn't want my image kissing you!" Fairydramon retorted.

"Don't try to deny your true feelings." Said Gazimon.

Before Fairydramon could retort, Kazuya interrupted. "Look, we have to get everyone out of here!" Kazuya exclaimed.

Everyone agreed, but Gazimon ran back to his chair.

"What are you doing?" Kazuya asked.

Gazimon searched around his chair before exclaiming an "Ah ha!"

Gazimon emerged from the back with his cigar clamped in his mouth.

"Would you just put that thing out!?" Kazuya yelled.

Gazimon ignored them and grabbed the entire cigar box." "Pleasure for the road." Said Gazimon.

Suddenly, Gazimon's cigar turned to ash, followed by the cigar box and his smoking jacket.

"What the!?" Gazimon said in confusion.

At that point, the entire room began to change.

"What's going on!?" Sakura asked, fearfully.

Every wall in the room was now replaced with a black slimy stone. The furniture became decrepit and decayed. Everyone figured now was as good a time as any to leave. Turning around, they were met with a familiar sight. The dark creatures blocked the doorway, staring menacingly at the group with those soulless yellow eyes. The humans and their digimon fell back as the creatures closed in.

--

_Moments earlier…_

DemiDevimon opened the bathroom door. He flew around looking for any sign of Chiisi.

"Kid, where are you!?" DemiDevimon called out.

In front of him, DemiDevimon noticed the bathtub was filled to the brim with black water. The partner digimon decided to follow his instincts and dove in. As he swam, he realized this was just as bad as trying to find something in a dark cave. However, ahead he felt something.

"_Kid._" DemiDevimon thought to himself.

--

Chiisi struggled in the dark watery abyss. For some strange reason he couldn't move but even more strangely, he could breathe even though he was underwater.

"Welcome, my child." A deep guttural voice greeted.

Chiisi recognized that voice. A pair of red eyes shone through the darkness.

"Don't try to struggle, for there is no escape." The voice said again,

A pair of tentacles started to appear, closing in on Chiisi.

Chiisi wanted to escape but he knew not how to. He focused his thoughts on escaping and he concentrated with all of his might.

"No! What are you doing!?" The figure screamed.

All around the boy the darkness rippled. His digivice began to glow and beep repeatedly. A black glow shone from Chiisi's body, engulfing everything. Far away, DemeDevimon continued to swim, searching for his partner. The black light engulfed the small rookie, surprising him. The light continued its path all the way to the outside world, until it completely covered the hotel.

All the occupants of the hotel stopped, as they were engulfed before disappearing entirely.

Deep within the Dark Ocean, the undersea master was now alone.

"No!" He screamed. He was so close, so very close to getting the child. His rage quickly subsided when he sensed something.

"All is not lost I suppose, the boy is still here." The undersea master mused. He had been patient for a long time. Surely he could wait a little longer. In time the child would come to him and then it would begin.

--

The hotel was now dead and silent. The interior and exterior was now a large black, stone monolith. The surrounding buildings were of the same architecture now. The illusion had passed and what was left was the reality. The streets were empty, save for two.

Chiisi rose to his feet as did DemiDevimon and the sight of gray skies greeted them.

--

In the Digital World, there was an island. Although if you looked at it from a top viewpoint, you could see it had many different terrains and geography. In the middle was a large mountain pointing high to the heavens. Nothing new really happened on this island. The digimon inhabitants had lived peaceful lives despite the recent trouble in the Digital World. As of late the locals noticed a thick fog had surrounded their island. Some had tried to venture beyond it but they never returned. Unbeknownst to them, the island had eight new guests.

To be continued…


	22. Chapter 22

It was daytime on the island. The sun had risen hours ago and all off the inhabitants had awoken. In a grassy field lay four figures. Two of them were human while the other two were digimon. A groan came from one of the figures.

"I am really getting sick of this happening." Kazuya said, as he rose to his feet.

Kazuya looked to see Sakura, Gazimon and Fairydramon sleeping near him.

"Hey wake up." Kazuya said, shaking Sakura.

After a moment, the girl opened her eyes. "Kazuya?" She asked.

Sakura looked around at the surrounding area. "Where are we?" She asked. Around the grassy field was a forest surrounding them on all sides.

"Don't know, just woke up here." Replied Kazuya. "Anyway let's wake up these two." Kazuya referred to their digimon.

Each one of them shook their respective digimon until they awoke.

"Hey, hey what's with all the shaking?" Gazimon asked slightly irritated.

"How did we get here?" Fairydramon asked.

Everyone tried to recall the events that had previously transpired. It did not take them long to remember.

"That's right we were cornered by those black things!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, where's Chiisi and the others?" Sakura asked.

They both checked their digivices, looking at the built in map. The screens displayed the area they were in, but there were no colored blips other than their own.

"It doesn't look like anyone is near us." Said Kazuya.

"What about Chiisi?" Sakura asked, worriedly.

Fear gripped her mind. Was Chiisi safe? Was he alright? Where was he? All of these questions frightened her as she considered not so optimistic answers.

"Hey, don't worry. Chiisi is a smart kid, I'm sure he is alright, besides he has DemiDevimon to protect him." Kazuya said, trying to reassure his friend.

Sakura nodded weakly, but that could not remove the worry in her mind.

"Okay, I think the first thing we should do is have a look around. We need to figure out where we are." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon sighed. "Man I could use another cigar." Gazimon said unexpectedly.

"Would you just drop that?" Kazuya asked.

"Come on. In stressful times like this a guy needs some pleasure." Gazimon retorted.

"I already told you smoking was bad for you." Kazuya said, delivering a retort of his own.

Gazimon crossed his arms in a defiant manner. "I thought it was pleasurable." Gazimon's face lit up euphorically. "When that thick luxurious smoke hit my throat it was heaven."

"If I recall correctly you were coughing first." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon waved his paw dismissing the comment given to him. "Geez Kazuya when did you become such a prude?" Gazimon asked.

Kazuya was taken aback. "A prude?" He said in surprise.

"Yes, a prude. You know…someone who is a killjoy." Said Gazimon.

"I am not a killjoy! Is it a crime to be concerned about their friend's health?" Kazuya asked.

The two of them started to argue, each one delivering their own comments and quips. The argument quickly ended when Fairydramon decided to intervene.

"That's enough!" The dragon mon yelled loudly enough to stop the two males from their fighting.

Seeing that she had gotten their attention, Fairydramon's expression softened. "Ahem. Now that you are finished, I believe it is time we return to the matter at hand."

"Yeah but he!" The two boys said in unison.

"Now!" Fairydramon yelled, slapping her tail on the ground.

Kazuya and Gazimon wisely kept their mouths shut and nodded. Nodding, Fairydramon began to walk, the others following her in suit.

"You got to love it when she gets all commanding like that." Gazimon whispered to Kazuya

XXX

Chiisi had awoken hours ago. When he first came to, he had no recollection what had happened. Looking up, the dark grey sky greeted him. Now he remembered what had happened. On instinct, he reached for his digivice and began pushing its buttons. To his dismay no other colored blips appeared. Looking around, he noticed that the buildings had changed. What was once urban housing, were now stone ruins.

Looking toward the hotel, there was now a large stone monolith where it once stood. Chiisi decided he did not want to stay here any longer. He turned around to leave, but just as he was about to, he felt something against his back.

"Aaaggh!" He yelped, turning around. A pair of yellow eyes met him. For a moment, he thought it was one of the creatures from earlier. As soon as he turned around, he saw that his assumption was incorrect.

"DemiDevimon." Chiisi said, relieved.

Indeed, it was DemiDevimon. In his right talon, he was holding a demi dart, ready to strike.

"Kid? Whoa for a second I thought you were one of those freaks." DemiDevimon said, putting away his demi dart. "Almost skewered you."

"Is there any one else?" Chiisi asked.

"No, you're the only other person I've seen." DemiDevimon replied.

Not pleased with the answer, Chiisi had no choice but to except it.

"We should get going. Those things could come back at any time." Said Chiisi.

DemiDevimon perched himself on Chiisi's left shoulder. "Lead the way kid." Said DemiDevimon.

The pair walked leaving the ruins behind them. Trekking along they noticed that all the buildings shared one thing. Etched on the black colored stone, were pictures of a squid it seemed. Or at least a demonic version of a squid. The images seemed familiar to Chiisi. For now, he put them aside in his mind. He was only concerned with finding his friends.

XXX

The group of four had walked along the field of grass for quite a while now. There were still no clues as to where they were. Not even a single wild digimon crossed their path.

"Man, not even the least bit of excitement around here." Said Kazuya.

"I think it's nice we have some peace and quiet for a change." Said Sakura.

Kazuya half expected his partner to give a cocky comment in response to Sakura. However, looking down he could see his partner had ran ahead of him.

"Hey Gazimon, we need to stick together!" Kazuya shouted ahead.

"There's something just over this hill! Come check it out!" Gazimon called back.

The rest of the party joined Gazimon and were met with a new sight.

At a distance away, there appeared to be some sort of town or village amidst the trees. The towers on the roofs pointed upwards towards the sky.

"Finally some civilization!" Kazuya said, ecstatically.

"Maybe everyone else is there." Said Sakura.

Fairydramon stepped in front of the two teenagers. "Then I suppose we should take a look."

Everyone walked towards the settlement. In no time, they reached the entrance. Next to the entranceway, there was a large sign with a message printed on it.

"Welcome to Toy Town." Sakura recited the message on the sign.

"Toy Town?" Fairydramon repeated in a confused tone.

Upon hearing those words, Kazuya and Gazimon bounded inside excitedly.

Fairydramon and Sakura looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders before joining Kazuya and Gazimon. As they stepped inside, they noticed that everything had a colorful and cheerful décor to it. The buildings appeared to be of European design painted with many warm colors.

Overall, a feeling of piece and tranquility sustained over the area.

"You know, I think I saw this in a movie once." Sakura noted.

Just then, something small landed in front of the group. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a toy robot painted entirely jet black. The robot waved at the group and flew off.

"Let's go after it!" Kazuya said, excitedly. Kazuya and Gazimon bounded after the toy with Sakura and Fairydramon following. The toy robot soon disappeared from their sight amongst the buildings.

"Where'd it go?" Gazimon wondered aloud.

They had entered a circular road of the town. They figured it must have been the very center. As they stood there, many toys could be seen moving on their own. From little electronic cars, to windup monkeys playing cymbals, to toy soldiers marching. To them it was something out of a children's storybook.

"This is peculiar." Said Sakura.

"Feels like we came here a bit too late, age wise." Said Kazuya. "I mean that toy robot was cool but these toy soldiers and stuff doesn't seem to fit with our age group."

"Let's look around. Maybe we'll find something." Gazimon suggested. The group then head down one of the pathways. High above on top of a building, the toy robot stood there. The sunlight reflected off its circular black eyes. Its head turned following the children and the digimon as they walked away.

XXX

"What are children doing here!" An angry voice asked.

The voice belonged to an odd looking digimon. The digimon looked almost like a white lego figure. On its arms and shoulders, red, blue and yellow paper was taped on its body. The blue paper on the left arm and the yellow on the right arm were both shaped like a wolf and a dinosaur respectively. Adorned on its head were three horns, two yellow one blue. They too were taped on. Its face looked like an angry scowl that was drawn on with a marker.

The digimon was watching a screen. Displayed on it were Kazuya, Sakura, Gazimon, and Fairydramon.

"Children have no respect for toys and yet they waltz right in here!" The strange toy digimon said.

"Oh they don't seem like such bad kids, Omekamon." A small, slimy Numemon slithered up towards Omekamon.

"Children are all alike. They play with their toys and then toss them aside like garbage when they're done." Omekamon argued.

Omekamon pushed a few buttons on a nearby console. The image on the screen soon shifted as the camera robot moved, following the group where they went.

"Are you going to follow them?" Numemon asked.

"Of course, have to make sure they don't break anything." Replied Omekamon. Turning back to his monitor, Omekamon continued to watch.

XXX

"This place looks friendly." Said Sakura. The group now stood in front of a gingerbread house complete with candy cane windowpanes and a gumdrop doorknob. Although, they could tell that it was fake and just for decoration.

"Let's go inside." Suggested Gazimon.

"I don't know. There was a story I read once about this." Said Sakura.

"Don't worry. If worse comes to worse we can just shove the witch in the oven." Said Kazuya, giving a slight smile.

Kazuya reached for the gumdrop doorknob and opened the door. Inside however, they found no witch or even a stove. Instead, the entire room was packed with rows upon rows of candy. Chocolate, gummy, lollipops, candy apples, cotton candy, and so much more types of candy then they could count.

"Wow, now that is an impressive spread." Said Kazuya.

"If we ate all that our mouth would be full of cavities." Said Sakura.

Gazimon stepped up towards a lollipop and took it. He tried biting into it. He was having a hard time until a loud crunch filled the room. "Hey, this is pretty good!" Said Gazimon, as he crunched on the hard candy.

"You're supposed to lick it." Said Kazuya.

"But biting it is faster." Gazimon argued.

"You'll ruin your teeth!" Nagged Kazuya.

Gazimon shot his partner an annoyed look. "Would you lighten up Kazuya? What's the worst that could happen to me?" Gazimon asked.

"Oh lets see…you could get cavities." Kazuya argued.

Gazimon waved his paw dismissively. "Prude." He muttered before going back to his eating.

"I am not a prude!" Kazuya shouted.

Sakura put her hand on Kazuya, motioning him to come outside for a moment.

Taking the hint, Kazuya followed Sakura outside, closing the door behind them.

"Do I really sound like a prude?" Kazuya asked.

Sakura almost looked hesitant to answer. "Kind of." She answered.

"How does worrying about my friend make me a prude?" Kazuya asked, a little annoyed.

"I don't think Gazimon needs to be constantly worried about." Said Sakura.

Kazuya considered that statement for a moment. "I guess I could tone it down, just a bit.

Smiling, an idea hit Sakura. "Why don't we go explore the rest of the town?" Sakura suggested.

"Okay, besides this place looks peaceful enough." Said Kazuya.

The two then went back inside. Gazimon had finished his lollipop and was now noshing on a chocolate bar. Fairydramon stood against a wall near the door with her arms crossed.

"Hey guys, we're going to go explore the rest of the town. You two want to join us?" Kazuya asked.

"Aww, but there's so many different kinds of candy I haven't tried yet." Gazimon complained.

"Fine you can stay here, but try not to eat too much candy, okay?" Said Kazuya, trying not to sound so nagging.

"Sure sure." Gazimon answered.

"Don't worry. I'll stay here and keep an eye on him." Said Fairydramon.

With that said, the two humans left, leaving the digimon alone.

Gazimon finished the chocolate bar in no time flat and was now moving on to a candy apple. The candied pieces stuck to the fur around his mouth. He licked his lips trying to get those sugary bits.

"It seems that Labramon is starting to rub off on you." Said Fairydramon.

Gazimon was slightly offended. "Hey, I'm just hungry. Besides, if Labramon were here, this place would be cleaned out in a few seconds." Gazimon said, defensively.

Gazimon continued to eat, soon finishing off the candy apple. He gave a satisfied burp as he tossed the stick aside. Gazimon gave his lips another lick as he wondered what to try next.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Fairydramon asked.

"Nah, this stuff works up your appetite. Why don't you try some?" Gazimon asked.

Fairydramon held up her claw signifying that she did not want any.

"Oh come on, just try it." Gazimon pleaded. He reached for a chocolate bar, un-wrapping it first and giving it to Fairydramon.

Fairydramon eyed the chocolate for a moment before taking it. Gazimon stared at her, anticipating her eating it. Seeing that he would not take his eyes off her until she took a bite, she did. She chewed it making sure to taste it thoroughly and then swallowed it.

"Well, how was it?" Gazimon asked.

"It was delicious!" Fairydramon said. Never in her life (or as much in her life as she could remember) had she tasted something so tasty. What remained of the chocolate bars was soon finished, as Fairydramon gobbled it down.

"Told ya you would like it." Said Gazimon.

Fairydramon took no heed, as she soon began to munch on more candy. In one claw, she held a lollipop, while in another she held some gummy candy.

"Mmm…delicious…so good." Fairydramon said in-between bites.

Gazimon noticed that she seemed a little more hyper. Gazimon decided to ignore it and continued with his candy gorging.

XXX

Kazuya and Sakura had wandered into a deep part of the town. Before them lay a building.

"Why are we stopping here?" Kazuya asked.

The two of them had been walking and enjoying the scenery of the town. For some reason Sakura had asked Kazuya to stop.

"I thought I heard something." She replied.

"How can you hear anything? The door's shut." Kazuya asked.

"Just listen closely." Replied Sakura.

Kazuya perked his ears and sure enough just faintly they could hear something from behind that door. It almost sounded like someone was yelling. The two looked at each other. They didn't have to say what needed to be done. They both opened the door and instantly blocked their ears.

"HELP! GET ME OUTTA THIS THING!" Inside the room there was a single chest that was shaking violently. A voice emerged from the chest so loudly anyone could hear it, even though the chest was closed tightly shut.

"Hey, hey, calm down, stop shouting!" Kazuya pleaded, as he held his ears.

"Oh, is someone out there?" The voice from inside the chest answered.

"Yes. Don't worry, we'll get you out." Sakura answered. Sakura tried to open the chest, but a sturdy looking lock kept it tightly shut.

"We'll never get anything done with this lock in the way." Sakura lamented.

"Don't worry why don't we just find our digimon and have them open it?" Kazuya suggested.

Sakura nodded and then knocked on the chest.

"Um, excuse me, whoever you are." Sakura said.

"It's Geremon." The voice replied.

"Okay Geremon, we're just going to get our friends to help us open this."

The chest suddenly jumped, causing Sakura to fall back. "You can't leave me here! Please take me with you!" Geremon pleaded.

"You want us to haul that thing around?" Kazuya asked in disbelief.

"Please it's for the good of Toy Town!" Geremon continued to plead.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "The good of Toy Town?" She asked.

Geremon sighed. "I suppose I should start from the beginning." Said Geremon. "I was once a digimon known as Monzaemon. I was the ruler of Toy Town, but my companions Omekamon and Numemon wanted Toy Town all to themselves, so they ousted me and locked me up."

"That's awful!" Exclaimed Sakura.

"You don't have to worry about your town, cause we'll have you out in no time."

"Oh thank you, thank you!" Geremon cheered.

So reluctantly, the two teenage humans grabbed both ends of the chest and began to haul it.

"Sometimes being a hero is tiring." Complained Kazuya.

XXX

Gazimon felt sick. More accurately, his stomach ached. He knelt against one of the candy counters, holding his belly and moaning. It was plain to anyone that he had eaten far too much candy and was now paying for it.

"How could something so sweet bring so much pain?" He asked, rubbing his belly.

"Yahoo!" Gazimon nearly jumped, as Fairydramon leapt in front of him. Fairydramon bore a rather manic expression on her scaly face.

"Heyyougoingtofinishthat!" Fairydramon asked, pointing to a pile of jelly beans that Gazimon had neglected to finish.

Turning a slight tinge of green, Gazimon waved his paw signifying he didn't want the candy.

Fairydramon scooped the jellybeans up and shoved them all in her mouth. She quickly chewed them up and swallowed them

"Yeahbabysugerwoohoo!" Fairydramon yelled so quickly that her words mixed together. Like Gazimon, Fairydramon had eaten far too much candy. Unlike Gazimon, she did not have a stomachache. Instead, all of those sugary delights had given her an extreme sugar rush.

The normally serious digimon now acted completely hyper and loopy. She constantly twitched and darted her head and body around excitedly. She bounded back over to Gazimon putting her face right to his.

"Comeongetupletsgodosomething!" Fairydramon prodded and poked Gazimon making him feel even more nauseous then usual.

"Can't you see I'm sick?" Gazimon asked weakly.

A frown crossed Fairydramon's face before fading back to a smile. "You'reboringI''llbealotmorefunthanyou!" Fairydramon exclaimed.

Fairydramon sped off with shout of "Wahooyippeeyahoobaby!"

Gazimon sat there alone. He looked around the room before he slowly rose to his feet. "Wait for me, my sweet honey." Gazimon said, as he left the candy room.

XXX

Nothing of interest had been happening in the monitor room. The robot camera had flown across all of Toy Town searching for any signs of trouble. Omekamon had almost decided to call it quits for the day. The humans had not done anything to harm the town or its toy denizens. He reached for the console, both to turn off the monitor and call off the robot camera. He took one more peek at the monitor and he stopped. He saw both of the humans holding a large chest looking very tired from the strain of holding it.

"I KNEW IT KNEW IT!" Omekamon shouted. Behind him, Numemon lay sleeping or at least was sleeping, but due to his boss's yelling, he awoke with a start.

"What's the problem? Why all the shouting?" Numemon asked, sleepily.

"Those humans have let the prisoner out!" Omekamon shouted, this time lowering his voice ever so slightly.

Omekamon now had Numemon's full attention. "But that means..." Numemon began.

"Human children are nothing but trouble. Get me my scribble rocket. It's time I took care of things." Said Omekamon, storming off.

Numemon obediently followed. He did not like the idea of a battle, but he knew he could not do anything to stop his boss when he got like this.

XXX

Carrying the chest had become rather a chore. So now, Kazuya was reduced to merely dragging it.

"Do you have to be so loud?" Geremon asked.

"Don't blame me…blame the wood dragging against the road." Replied Kazuya.

Sakura had given up carrying the chest a long time ago. This was the reason Kazuya had been reduced to dragging it across the road.

"Kazuya, my arms aren't tired anymore. I can help you carry that." Said Sakura.

"No, we're almost back at the candy room so it's-." Just as Kazuya was speaking, something small and fast crashed into him, Sakura, and the chest, knocking them all down.

"What was that?" Said Kazuya.

Sakura rubbed her sore bottom. She turned around to see what had hit them. As soon as she turned around, a familiar scaly face pushed itself in front of Sakura.

"Fairydramon?" Sakura asked.

Spontaneously, Fairydramon embraced Sakura in a tight hug. "HeySakurahowareyoudoing!" Fairydramon asked, in an accelerated hyper speech.

"Fairydramon are you okay?" Sakura asked, noticing her partner's peculiar behavior.

Fairydramon let go of Sakura and hopped on one foot. "!" Fairydramon asked again, hopping on her other foot.

Deciding to ignore it for now, Sakura decided to ask Fairydramon. "Say could you open this lock for us, Fairydramon?"

"Surenoproblem!FairySlash!" In a blink of an eye, the lock was split in two and the chest opened up.

Out of the chest slithered a slimy digimon. From first glance, it looked like a Numemon only it was colored yellow with purple spots. Sakura held up her digimon analyzer.

Digimon: Geremon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Mollusk

Attacks: Hyper Stink, Dirty Puddle

"Not what I was expecting." Said Kazuya.

Geremon turned both of his eyes stalks so as to look at both Kazuya and Sakura.

"Thanks for freeing me, but we must hurry before…" Geremon began before the sounds of marching footsteps could be heard.

Up the road coming down in rows were human sized toy soldiers. In their arms they carried muskets which were now pointed straight at them.

"Run!" Geremon commanded.

The whole group did as they were told and fled (or sprinted in Fairydramon's case) from the oncoming soldiers.

The soldiers raised their muskets and fired. Several explosions barely grazed the feet of the fleeing group. The firing only increased their speed.

"I think we're losing them!" Kazuya shouted. Kazuya lead the party back to the direction of the candy shop when ahead he saw a familiar face.

"Gazimon!" Said Kazuya.

Gazimon looked up weakly. He was holding his belly and his face was green underneath his fur.

"What's wrong with you?" Kazuya asked.

Gazimon moaned in response and rubbed his belly.

"You ate too much candy, didn't you?" Said Kazuya.

Gazimon moaned in response. Sakura looked at the twitching Fairydramon. "I guess she has a sugar rush." Said Sakura.

Kazuya was about to tell Gazimon "I told you so" But he remembered what Sakura had said earlier.

"Look, its okay to eat candy, but next time, try to not eat so much." Kazuya warned.

Gazimon nodded his head weakly. His stomach churned causing him to grip his belly tighter.

"Can we please hurry before they come?" Geremon asked, impatiently.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Asked Sakura.

"There's a warehouse near here where they stored my Monzaemon suit." Said Geremon.

"Suit?" Kazuya asked.

Before that matter could be addressed, a cry of "Scribble Rocket!" rang out. A spinning multicolored rocket was heading straight towards everyone.

"Duck!" Kazuya yelled. Luckily, everyone managed to duck out of the way of the rocket. It exploded behind them in a rainbow colored smoke cloud.

"Hold it right there!" In front of a large group of toy soldiers, were Omekamon and Numemon.

"That's them. Those are the two that locked me up." Geremon said accusingly. Both Kazuya and Sakura held up their digimon analyzers towards the two new digimon.

Digimon: Omekamon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Data

Type: Puppet

Attacks: Omeka Kick, Scribble Rocket

Digimon: Numemon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Mollusk

Attacks: Party Time, Smash

"That's what you get for being a traitor!" Said Omekamon. "Now you're going back to confinement."

Kazuya and Sakura stood in front of Geremon defensively. "Over our dead bodies!" Said Kazuya.

"You two are the real criminals." Said Sakura

If Omekamon's face had not been drawn on, he would be smirking. "So that's what he told you huh? Well, he's coming with me and then you two will get the real story." Said Omekamon.

"Don't believe them, they're liars! Hyper Stink!" Out of nowhere, Geremon began to fling several objects towards Omekamon, Numemon, and the soldiers. Whatever he was throwing, it was slimy. As it hit the opposing side, it made several wet smacks.

"Wait a minute…is that?" Sakura asked starting to realize what was being thrown.

"Not time, let's hurry." Said Geremon, leading the group in the opposite direction. Kazuya and Sakura grabbed their digimon due to one being sick to his stomach and the other being extremely hyper.

Omekamon angrily wiped the "sludge" off of his body and pointed angrily in the direction of their fleeing prisoner. "After them!" He commanded.

"We're not going to hurt those kids are we?" Asked Numemon.

"Only if it comes to that." Replied Omekamon.

XXX

"There it is the warehouse." Said Geremon. Geremon slithered over to the large wooden doors, trying to pry them open.

"Help me with this." Said Geremon.

Sakura and Kazuya set their digimon down. Both of them stayed where they were, Gazimon being too sick to move and Fairydramon just remained on the ground trying to catch her tail which was moving very erratically.

The sound of marching footsteps briefly halted them. However, they quickly resumed their task and soon enough, the doors opened with a creak.

Inside it was dark, the only light being the sunlight that poured in. As the darkness parted away, several boxes could be seen inside. They were piled high, some almost reaching the ceiling. Amongst the boxes, something was propped up against them. The closer everyone drew; they could see that it was a giant teddy bear. The bear's fur was bright yellow and it had a big belly button with an x shaped bandage on it. Its face was almost docile looking with red eyes.

"This is it! My suit!" Geremon said happily.

Geremon immediately slithered over to it and up its back. "Just got to get the zipper here." Geremon continued.

The sounds of marching crept ever closer, making everyone uneasy. A loud zip sounded out as the large bear costume began to move. As it rose, the two children whipped out their digimon analyzers.

Digimon: Monzaemon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Puppet

Attacks: Hearts Attack, Hug

"An Ultimate? Awesome! Now we got a winning team!" Kazuya said excitedly.

Things were starting to look up. In fact, Geremon or more accurately Monzaemon, started to chuckle.

"Oh, thank you guys. You sure are SUCKERS!" Monzaemon shouted. His chuckle changed into a deep snicker.

Both Kazuya and Sakura were shocked. Even Gazimon and Fairydramon despite their conditions were shocked.

"I've really got to thank you two. I wonder if all humans are such saps? Oh well, now I can rule this place, but first I need a little change."

Monzaemon began to change. His fur turned a dark shade of black and his face changed into a sinister placid look. Stitches were now sown into the fur on its belly and mouth. Lastly, out of nowhere, a ragged looking red cape was now fastened around his neck. The image of Monzaemon on the digimon analyzer changed into this new form.

Digimon: WaruMonzaemon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Puppet

Attacks: Heart Break Attack, Bear Claw

"He looks creepy." Sakura said, backing away.

WaruMonzaemon began to march right in the path of the two kids and the digimon.

"Look out!" Kazuya yelled.

Both kids with their respective digimon moved out of the giant bear's path. WaruMonzaemon headed straight for the entrance. Being that he was so big, the door way and the surrounding wall burst into splinters. The toy soldiers fired their muskets. WaruMonzaemon swatted his paws, nullifying most of the bullets.

"Pieces of junk." Said WaruMonzaemon as he stomped through the wooden men.

"I'll take care of these little annoyances and then come back for you." WaruMonzaemon said to the remaining group at the warehouse.

Omekamon was at a loss for words. He just knew the moment those humans came to town things were going to go bad. Now if only he had those kids to yell at he could let off his frustration and anger. His wish had been answered as the guilty party stepped out of the warehouse. Immediately, Omekamon sprinted towards the children.

"This is all your fault!" Omekamon yelled. "Now, everything's ruined.

"Geremon told us you were the bad guys." Said Kazuya.

Numemon slithered up towards Omekamon who looked like he was about to give another verbal lashing. "Maybe we should just tell them what's going on." He suggested.

Omekamon grumbled lightly before conceding. "Okay, here's how it goes. I have been running Toy Town for quite a while. Whenever a child abandons his or her toy, it ends up here." Omekamon began. "Frankly, I'm thinking I should retire, so I have been training successors to take my place. So far, only two applied, Numemon and Geremon." Numemon popped up upon hearing his name. "Whoever I picked would wear that Monzaemon suit and take my place. But one day, Geremon got greedy and tried to take over completely. So I did the most humane thing I could. I locked him in a chest and stored him away."

"How is that humane?" Kazuya asked, skeptically.

"He doesn't get out much." Said Numemon.

Kazuya and Sakura both felt guilty. "Look, if it's any consolation, we're sorry and we're willing to fix this." Said Kazuya.

"And how are you going to do that? Ask him nicely to stop?" Omekamon asked, sarcastically.

Kazuya held up his digivice. A smirk formed around his lips. "I'd say it's time for a little evolution."

"Kazuya, I don't think that's such a good idea. Gazimon is in no condition to fight and could you imagine Fairydramon the way she is now?" Sakura asked.

"Ilikesugar!" Fairydramon shouted for no reason at all.

Kazuya looked at the hyperactive sugar crazed digimon. A mental image of a rampaging Tiamon appeared, making him shudder.

"Good Point." Said Kazuya.

The sounds of crashing and WaruMonzaemon laughing could be heard behind them.

"We better hurry this up, otherwise we're all going to die." Omekamon warned.

Everyone tried to think of a plan. Although, it was tough when a giant demonic teddy bear was marching towards you to deliver your ticket into the afterlife.

"Hold on, why don't we just get someone else in the Monzaemon suit." Sakura suggested.

If Omekamon had a real face, he would look surprised at this point. "You know that's not a half bad idea.

"But Sakura, we can't put our digimon in there." Said Kazuya.

Sakura looked down at the ground. Neither she nor Kazuya could picture their digimon as a giant teddy bear.

"Don't worry, I got the perfect mon for the job." Said Omekamon, putting one hand on Numemon.

"Me?" Numemon asked.

"Yep. Seems I finally have found my successor. But we're going to need a distraction so you can get inside." Said Omekamon. Omekamon turned his head towards the distraction he had in mind. Everyone could see that he was looking at Fairydramon.

Meanwhile, closing in on them was WaruMonzaemon. The evil digimon was on top of the world. He could not wait to rule this place. The first thing he planned on doing was getting rid of this cheerful theme. He was thinking of dark and metal for this town. Firstly, he would have to get rid of Omekamon and Numemon and "thank" those humans for freeing him. WaruMonzaemon relished in these thoughts when something entered his path.

"Huh?" He said. He looked closely to see it was that Fairydramon from earlier.

"Heyyoustupidbearbetyoucan'tcatchme!" Fairydramon said, shaking her tail at him.

"I don't know what you just said, but it sounded a lot like, please kill me!" WaruMonzaemon shouted.

"Bear Claw!" WaruMonzaemon jabbed his fist towards Fairydramon. Fairydramon simply dodged, causing the evil bear to lodge his fist into the ground. The process continued, Fairydramon would insult him and WaruMonzaemon would try to hit her. It was rather formulaic.

"I didn't think a sugar rush could be so helpful." Said Sakura. The group had hidden themselves behind a building while Fairydramon did her work.

"I'm surprised that she was able to take orders." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon did not respond. He lay on the ground still moaning and holding his belly.

Omekamon stood there as well, watching the battle. He then nudged Numemon, motioning to go. The slug like digimon slithered towards the fight. WaruMonzaemon was so engrossed in trying to kill the small dragon that he did not see, nor feel the slimy digimon creep up on him. It was not until he heard a loud "Zip!" that he realized something was wrong.

"Hey get out of there!" WaruMonzaemon shouted, trying feebly to reach his zipper. It was too late for him, as Numemon slithered inside.

WaruMonzaemon stopped what he was doing. His mouth lay open and his body occasionally gave a few shakes. The body soon stopped shaking and WaruMonzaemon instantly changed back into good old regular Monzaemon. A scream sounded out as Geremon flew out of the zipper hole and landed right on the ground.

Geremon angrily looked up as the new Monzaemon was busy looking himself over, trying to get a feeling for this new form.

"It's all over Geremon!" Geremon turned to see the two humans that had helped him earlier staring angrily at him.

"If you come quietly then maybe I'll lessen your punishment." Said Omekamon, stepping up.

Geremon growled and looked at the Fairydramon ahead of him. She was busy playing with her tail ignoring all else that was going on.

Geremon produced the biggest pile of poop he could muster (It's pointless to call it sludge at this point) and charged or slid towards the ignorant digimon. Murder crossed his bloodshot eyes. Nothing would stop him from getting his revenge.

"Electric Stun Blast!" Geremon looked up to see a ball of electricity heading straight towards him. He barely had any time to react as it hit him. His body crackled and the poop he was holding disintegrated. When it was done, he stood there with a few scorch marks on his yellow body. He then collapsed both from exhaustion and the closing feeling of death. You see, digimon in the Numemon family were not known for their strength. Thus, his body deleted into nothingness. Where he once stood, something small was wriggling. No one noticed it, but it looked similar to a tadpole. The key difference's was that it was completely black with yellow eyes. The creature soon too deleted into nothingness. As it left, there was a lingering stench of both the sea and darkness.

Gazimon stood there. A look of pride mixed in with his look of nausea. Everyone was quite surprised he had managed to even move.

"Nobody touches my sweet honey!" Proclaimed Gazimon.

Before he could sit down, Fairydramon embraced him tightly. "OhthankyouyousavedmylifenowI'mgoingtosleep." With that Fairydramon collapsed and went into a slumber.

"I suppose the sugar down had to come sometime." Said Sakura.

XXX

The toys of Toy Town worked hard to repair their home. A few boards here a little cement there. The town would be prepared in no time.

"I still say you should have made them repair it." Omekamon said angrily at the newly christened Monzaemon, protector of Toy Town.

"We said we were sorry!" Kazuya exclaimed.

Sakura looked down in guilt. No matter how many times they said they were sorry, they could not stop feeling guilty.

"They said they were sorry and that's good enough for me. Besides, they're good kids, they were just tricked." Said Monzaemon.

Sakura smiled at the bear digimon's words. Her guilt was starting to melt away, now that someone was recognizing they had been deceived.

"Whatever. All I know is that this is your town now and I'm taking a long vacation." Said Omekamon. The toy digimon then walked off glad that the trouble was over with and that he had someone to take his place.

Kazuya looked at the destruction that was being repaired. "You know, we can stay and help, since we are partially responsible for this." Said Kazuya.

Monzaemon chuckled and waved his paw. "It's okay. Besides, you two have other things to worry about." He motioned his paw towards the still sick Gazimon and the sleeping Fairydramon.

"We do have some friends to find." Said Sakura. Her worry for Chiisi still remained, along with the others.

"Before you go, Heart Attack!" Monzaemon shouted. Several pink bubbles in the shape of hearts appeared from Monzaemon's body and enveloped the four. Fairydramon continued to sleep, but Kazuya and Sakura felt different. They felt happy and that everything would turn out okay. The two of them began to laugh, no longer able to contain their joy. Gazimon was not feeling joyful. The bubble floated up and down and around. The rabbit digimon was not feeling happy. His stomach churned and his nausea grew.

Gazimon could no longer contain himself as a loud "Blrragh!" came from his throat and filled the bubble.

"Gross." Said Monzaemon, backing a few feet away.

"That's disgusting!" Kazuya and Sakura both said at once. Realizing what they did, the two laughed at once. They felt too happy to be truly grossed out.

To be continued….

A/N: This chapter was as little lighthearted but a little light before darkness and trust me I intend to make this story arc a tad dark. As of this chapter I will officially have a job Mon-Fri. That does not mean I will stop writing. I will do my best to update and I will finish this story no matter what!


	23. Chapter 23

Gear Savannah, it was as its name applied. Embedded in the ground was a myriad of gears. From small to large, they stood like statues. A grass land grew all around underneath them. Another oddity was the telephone poles sticking out.

Travelers were a common sight along this section of land. For you see, hardly anyone lived here. Sure, there were a few villages scattered around, but nothing very hospitable for larger creatures. The villages were mostly inhabited by In-Training digimon.

Walking along bearing the sun beating down on them, were two travelers. "I spy with my little eye something that begins with a G!" Labramon happily recited.

Sho breathed. "Let me guess…gear?"

"Right! Oh you're so smart!" Labramon announced happily. Sho and Labramon had awoken an hour earlier. After their frightening experience in the hotel kitchen, Sho and Labramon were glad to be somewhere where death wasn't threatening them. Actually, it would be more correct to say Sho was only slightly happy.

He had no idea where he was and that worried him. Particularly since the group was nowhere to be found. Sho preferred to be in a group. He felt that teamwork was important and despite all their hardships, the only way they had managed to stay alive in this world was by sticking together. As cliché as it sounded, it was true.

Labramon had been the only other sign of life he had seen. It made sense. After all, she was his digimon, making it appropriate for her to be with him. The canine digimon had sensed her partner's feelings and did her best to cheer him up. She had tried an assortment of games to keep his mind preoccupied on something positive. She thought a game of _I spy_ would lift Sho's spirits. It worked at first, but over time Sho had become annoyed.

"I spy with my little eye something that begins with a-" Labramon began to recite again when Sho cut her off.

"Labramon there is nothing else here! That's a gear, that's a rock, that's grass, that's dirt and that's the sky!" Sho exclaimed.

Sho was glad to get that outburst out otherwise he would have just bottled it up. However, he now wished he hadn't. Labramon was staring at Sho. Her lower lip was quivering and her eyes looked wet and shiny.

Sho, realizing his mistake, softened. "Labramon I'm sorry. I'm just a little stressed." He apologized.

Labramon immediately perked up. "That's okay Sho-chan. I'm just trying to cheer you up!"

"I don't think anything is going to cheer me up. If I knew where I was, then maybe." Sho said, depressingly.

Labramon walked up to Sho, wagging her tail, her tongue panting happily. "Guess it will be up to me to fix that!"

Sho smiled and Labramon giggled in her happy manner. Although departed from their friends, Labramon was enjoying every waking moment of being with Sho. Besides eating, being with Sho was Labramon's greatest joy. Labramon was hesitant on one thing, though, revealing her true feelings to Sho. She wondered if he felt the same way about her as she did to him. Every time Labramon would attempt to reveal the depths of her affection, she would immediately put her words away.

Even if she couldn't admit her feelings, she was glad to be with him and to her there was nothing that would get between them. Then, her stomach growled. "I'm hungry Sho-chan." Said Labramon, staring at her belly.

Sho surveyed the gear abundant land. "I don't think we'll be finding food anytime soon."

"But Sho-chan, I'm starving!" Labramon argued.

Sho put his hands up in frustration. "I doubt missing one meal will kill you, besides you ate plenty at that fake hotel." Sho argued as well. Sho's stress was starting to return. Knowing his digimon, Labramon would most likely want a huge feast for a meal. Regarding their current condition, it would be very difficult to satiate her appetite. Sho sarcastically thought this was what he needed.

Labramon's canine senses could pick up what Sho was feeling. "Maybe if we keep walking, we can find some food." Labramon added optimistically. Sho nodded his head and the pair continued to walk. Sho's eyes followed the telephone poles. He questioned the exact purpose of them, since it didn't seem like there were any phones.

"Sho-chan! Food!" Labramon moaned. She rolled on the ground, pawing at the air. "If I don't get something in me I'm going to faint!"

"Look, just be patient will you? I'm sure we'll find food." Said Sho, trying to extinguish his annoyance. Sho looked down at his digivice. The small orange object reminded Sho of a real orange. He couldn't ignore his own hunger. The only other meal he had had was at that apple incident.

"EEEEEHHHHH!" A scream pierced through the area like a knife. Sho clutched the digivice at his waist. Labramon jolted upright. The both of them nodded at each other and ran off towards the source of the noise.

Running past poles and gears, two figures could be made out ahead. One was standing while the other lay on the ground holding up one hand in pleading fear. The standing figure or rather the four-legged figure appeared to be a giant wolf. Its fur was pure white with blue stripes all over. Now to those who knew extensively about digimon would presume at first this was a Garurumon. However, Sho's digimon analyzer showed what it was.

Digimon: Gururumon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Beast

Attacks: Chaos Blaster, Animal Bite.

Unlike its digimon cousin, Gururumon had a lighter shade of white and the blue stripes had a more cyan palette to the blue. Gururumon growled, bearing its teeth at the frightened figure before it.

Digimon: Persiamon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Beast Man

Attacks: Helter Skelter, Vampire Dance

Persiamon looked like a human for the most part. Her twin tails, feline claws and feet proved otherwise. She was dressed in leopard spotted baggy pants. A veil covered her human face and golden rings hung from her arms, feet, and tails. She had long orange red hair, braided with a crystal at its tip. Her appearance reminded Sho of a harem girl.

"So she's a digimon." Said Sho.

"She's a cat." Labramon growled. Sho did not hear Labramon's comment. Right now, the chivalrous side of himself urged him to save her. He pondered why an Ultimate level digimon would be in fear of a Champion, but put it out of his mind.

"Labramon let's go!" Sho called, holding up his digivice. Labramon didn't move an inch. "Labramon?" Sho asked, staring at her. Labramon stared back sitting on her haunches. Persiamon let out another scream. Sho looked at her then at Labramon, motioning with his head for her to be ready. Labramon frowned. She was reluctant to help Persiamon, yet she did not want to disappoint Sho. Putting her personal feelings aside, Labramon stood on all fours, ready.

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**"

Gururumon ignored the light beside him. All he wanted was a decent meal. His plans on dining on Persiamon had been cancelled, as he was hit with a Tiidaiya. The golden arrows struck him. He backed off looking at the one who so rudely disrupted him. Snarling at the golden Shiisamon, He charged towards his quarry with bestial rage.

"Sekkantou!" Shiisamon smacked Gururumon with her front paws. He staggered back, dazed.

"Helter Skelter!" Sho and Shiisamon turned to see Persiamon had risen from her frightened position. She held her harms out, her paws outstretched as a beam of ice materialized. Gururumon had little time to act, as he was frozen solid. The ice moved over him until he was completely restricted.

His eyes did their very best to focus as he saw Persiamon running towards him. With a stretch of her paws, a loud smash soon followed. Gurumon shattered into several ice shards, which soon deleted. Persiamon began to dust herself off.

"Lousy brute, just minding my own business." She muttered. Persiamon finished with her cleaning and turned her attention to Sho and Labramon (who had quickly devolved from Shiisamon). Persiamon looked Sho over. She circled him, eyeing the boy with interest.

"Well, well, well, it seems I have a handsome boy in my midst." Persiamon purred seductively. Sho's face turned red and so did Labramon's. Although Labramon's face color was not due to embarrassment.

"I heard you give that command to your…..pet. If it wasn't for you, then I would have been among the recently departed." Said Persiamon.

Labramon began to grind her teeth, growling softly.

"Uh, no problem." Said Sho.

"I have to thank you. Please won't you come to my abode?" Persiamon asked. "It's just over there at the base of Mt. Miharashi." Behind Persiamon was a large mountain. Sho and Labramon had noticed it as they traveled, watching it grow bigger with each step they took.

"T-that's a kind offer, but-" Sho began.

"Sho-chan and I are busy." Labramon finished for her partner. Labramon started to nudge Sho in the opposite direction from Persiamon.

"Oh please? I just want to show my gratitude." Persiamon leapt in front of Sho and Labramon, surprising them both.

"I'll bet. Just what were you doing out here?" Labramon asked suspiciously.

"I was simply taking a walk, when that beast of a digimon attacked me." Persiamon answered.

"So a mighty Ultimate like you couldn't handle a Champion?" Labramon asked. Again, suspicion was in her voice.

Persiamon strode up to Sho, putting her face close to his. "I was so frightened."

Labramon growled. "Yeah, I bet you were." Labramon replied.

Sho didn't understand why Labramon was acting so hostile. "Uh, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sho asked her. Labramon complied and she and Sho walked some distance away from Persiamon.

"What's with you, Labramon?" Sho asked.

"Sho-chan, there's two reasons why we can't trust her. One, we just met her, and two, she's a cat!" Labramon said that last part with venom in her voice.

"Don't you think that's a bit cliché?" Sho asked.

"What's cliché?" Labramon asked.

"It means something has been overdone." Sho answered. Labramon cocked her head in confusion, but nevertheless decided to accept Sho's answer. Still, her dislike for the feline digimon remained.

"So, what will it be?" Persiamon asked. Sho stared at her for a moment. He had to admit she was rather attractive looking. The feline digimon's crystal at the tip of her long hair glowed for a brief moment. Sho squinted and held his forehead.

"_What was that glow?_" he wondered, but he merely assumed it was the light reflecting off the jewel.

"I suppose we could stay a while." Sho answered.

Persiamon clasped her paws together. "Oh wonderful. I'll lead the way."

As they moved, Labramon quickly stood in front of Sho. "Sho-chan what did I just say!"

Before Sho could answer, Persiamon spoke. "Oh now don't be so suspicious my canine friend."

Labramon growled in response. "I'm not your friend, kitty!"

Persiamon smiled, showing her feline fangs. "Why don't we just go to my home and my servants can cook us something." Persiamon suggested.

"I don't care what you…wait a minute, what?" Labramon perked up at the mention of food. "Oh yes. My chefs are quite good. Why you could ask them for anything and they would cook it." Said Persiamon

Labramon's mouth watered. The lure of eating good dining was her Achilles heel. Immediately, Labramon's tone and demeanor changed. "On second thought, maybe we should go." Labramon suggested. Persiamon then lead them again to the direction of Mt. Miharashi.

As they walked, Labramon kept her gaze on Persiamon, following her tail as it swished back and force. It was almost hypnotizing. She looked up at Sho. Like Labramon, his gaze was directed toward Persiamon. Something was amiss about his eyes. The shine in them seemed to have been lost somewhat. Labramon could not put her paw on what was wrong and decided to leave it. The only thought that dominated her mind right now was food.

Fantasies of all the goodies she would eat danced around Labramon's head. Then again, she thought mostly about food. Appetizing as those thoughts were, thoughts of Sho continued to conflict with her other thoughts. With that, Labramon focused her attention on Persiamon.

"_I'm watching you hussy. I won't let you take my Sho-chan away from me._" Labramon thought. Labramon's fierce dedication to Sho was more than human to digimon partner. To her Sho was her love.

XXX

The sounds of crashing waves grew louder. Trees surrounded him on all sides. He knew not what direction to follow but only the sounds of the waves. "So why exactly are we trudging through this place again?" DemiDevimon asked again.

Chiisi looked toward his digimon, who was comfortably perched on his shoulder. "I'm the only one trudging here." He replied.

DemiDevimon chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Wing flaps accompanied him as he ascended off his partner's shoulder.

"There. Now we're equal." DemiDevimon said with a smirk. Chiisi smirked back and they continued to move. The trees soon parted onto a cliff. Chiisi balanced himself as he almost walked right off. Below him was the sea. The waves crashed against the rocks, leaving foam in its wake. DemiDevimon descended on the ground and kicked a small pebble off.

"Glad we're up, aren't yah? Wouldn't want to fall." Said DemiDevimon. Chiisi paid no heed to his words and continued to stare at the sea. His eyes were fixated on the water below. He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to jump in. He slowly stepped towards the edge, his gaze never wavering from the sea.

"Hey kid!" DemiDevimon yelled.

Chiisi immediately came to a halt. "Wh-what?" Chiisi asked confused.

"Didn't picture you as the suicidal type, kid." Said DemiDevimon. "Come on. Let's get out of here. The sooner we stay away from cliffs, the better."

DemiDevimon flew of with Chiisi following. Chiisi did not understand why he almost did what he did. "_Chiisi._" A voice called. Chiisi turned around. He was sure he heard something. For a moment he waited, until he heard nothing at all. Deep beneath the sea a single word echoed throughout.

"_Chiisi._"

XXX

Digimon: Floramon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Data

Type: Plant

Attacks: Rain of Pollen, Stamen Rope

Was what the digimon analyzer displayed upon entering Persiamon's home. The house was a large château built near the side of the mountain. It was positioned so as to catch the sunrise.

Stepping into the foyer, they were greeted by five Floramon. The Floramon were best described as walking reptile plants. Their bodies were a shade of green complementing the reptile look as a thorny tail sprouted up behind them. Blooming flowers sprouted where hands should be in lovely shades of purple, thin yellow stamen poking out. The feet were merely vines bounded close together. Bright blue eyes peeked out of their red rose bud heads, similar colored petals surrounding them.

"Greetings madam!" They chorused in a feminine chime. "Was your walk to your satisfactory?"

Persiamon purred a sigh. "Unfortunately ladies, it was not." The Floramon gasped in unison, holding their flower hands to their faces in shock. Sho and Labramon watched as the Floramon fawned over their mistress. Every nail, every hair, and every fiber of cloth was inspected. Persiamon shooed the Floramon away. They assembled in their postioned bowing, awaiting their orders.

Sho and Labramon could not believe how perfectly in accord their movements were. "Alas I was struck by a brigand digimon." Persiamon continued.

"Oh tell what more!" The Floramon said, once again in unison.

Persiamon flashed a smile and wrapped her arms around Sho. The boy blushed while Labramon gaped in shock. "This boy commanded his beast to attack and saved me from a lamentable fate." Persiamon finished.

The Floramon sighed with happiness and surprise. Their sighs swiftly turned to gasps when Labramon barred her way between the cat digimon and her partner. Growling angrily, Persiamon backed off and the Floramon covered their faces. No one was allowed to touch her Sho-chan. As far as Labramon was concerned, she had the only right to that privilege.

"Labramon!" Sho scolded. Labramon whined in shock. How could her Sho-chan say something like that? "Persiamon has invited you into her home and you act like that!" Sho angrily continued. Labramon whimpered sadly and lowered her head down.

Persiamon smiled. "Oh no worries. Let's just have ourselves some dinner." Persiamon addressed this line to her Floramon servants. The Floramon dispersed to go prepare the meal for their mistress and her guests.

Labramon whimpered ever the more. Oh well. Perhaps the upcoming meal would take away her sadness.

XXX

Chiisi trekked through the forest. DemiDevimon flew in front of him protectively. The small bat was keeping a close eye out for any signs of trouble. Secretly, he was hoping for a little conflict. The forest although dark and foreboding, was very boring. "Would it kill us just to have a little excitement around here?" Asked DemiDevimon.

"Apparently yes." Chiisi answered. "Oh come on. I need some conflict, a battle. So far, we just walk and walk and nothing happens. Boring in my book. That is if I had a book." Commented DemiDevimon. Chiisi laughed a little. DemiDevimon smiled in response. Even if he was not fighting, he was glad to be able to lift his partner's spirits.

They two of them made it out of the forest without any hostilities. Parting from the forest, a path leading down could be seen. They were high above it on some cliffs. The path below led down to the beach. Chiisi looked at the sea moving in and out. The dark waters continued to call him.

"_Chiisi._" A voice called to him. Not knowing what he was doing, Chiisi decided to walk down. He stopped near the black shore. The water splashed the tips of his shoes. For a long time he stared. The voice repeated his name. "Kid?" DemiDevimon asked. Chiisi turned to DemiDevimon. "Let's keep going." Was all he said. Therefore, they did, walking along the shore. The waves continued to move in and out.

XXX

Labramon's mouth watered in anticipation. She could smell the food being prepared, her delicate nose picking up every spice. If she did not have other things on her mind, she would be impatiently pacing around, waiting to have her gut filled to bursting. The one thought that overcame her thoughts of food was Sho. The two of them had been waiting in a finely furnished room just beyond the foyer. It appeared to be a living room. A fine sofa sat in the middle of the room welcoming others to plop themselves down. A ruby red carpet covered the entire floor. A large carpet blanketed a portion of the carpet. It was sepia colored and with a peculiar design having shapes of varying colors. A large crystal chandelier hung above them, giving off light and reflecting.

Since Persiamon had left to check on the dinner preparations, Sho had been eerily quiet. Labramon had noticed a change in Sho's personality since they had met Persiamon. "Sho-chan?" Labramon asked.

Sho looked down at Labramon, his eyes still held that lack of shine to them. "What?" Was all he said, simple as that.

"Are you okay?" Labramon asked.

Again Sho looked at her, this time quizzically. "Of course. I'm fine."

"I don't believe that. I'm a digimon and I can sense things aren't right." Said Labramon.

"Are you talking about Persiamon again?" Sho asked.

Labramon nodded her head, growling at the mere mention of Persiamon's name. "I don't trust her." Labramon growled. "She seems nice to me." Said Sho.

"Sho-chan, you just met her!" Labramon argued. Labramon dropped her serious expression and hopped up to Sho's lap. Her expression changed to playful. "Besides, you've got me!" Labramon said, happily licking his face.

Sho simply wiped his face and glared at Labramon. "Couldn't you wait until after we ate? Now I'm covered in slobber."

Labramon whimpered and got down from Sho's lap. She lay on her belly with her head to the ground. She could not understand what had happened to her Sho-chan. Beyond that room, the Floramon busily prepared their work in the kitchen. A vast majority of the work had already been done. Remains of vegetable peels and the juice from uncooked meat formed a small, messy puddle on the chopping boards.

"Can't you hurry this up?" Persiamon asked, flinging her tail in annoyance and impatience.

"We are just about done, madam." One of the Floramon chorused. Sure enough, the Floramon were soon finished with most of the cooking and were placing the completed dishes onto plates and into bowls.

Persiamon inspected her servant's work. "Mmm perfect." Said Persiamon, not adding the stereotypical purr to the fect. "It looks exquisite, but what about the mongrel's dish?" Persiamon asked.

The Floramon were confused. "What ever do you mean, madam?" The Floramon asked in unison.

"You didn't think I would give that mutt a seat at my table, did you?" Persiamon asked.

Persiamon flashed a dangerous smile. "I find that boy interesting and I wish to make him mine." Persiamon continued. "However, that stupid mutt will just get in my way." Persiamon walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a can. Setting it down on the table, one could see that it had a picture of a dog on it. "I was saving this for just such an occasion as this, so make sure you add the "proper" seasoning." Persiamon added.

The Floramon nodded, getting their mistress's gist. One of the Floramon pulled out a can opener while another took out a dog food bowl. The Floramon never questioned why their mistress would have such things, viewing that they had no right to ask. The dog food landed in the bowl with a wet drop. The dog food was a goopy substance and not very appetizing to the eye. Gathering around the bowl, the Floramon raised their petal arms.

"Rain of Pollen!" Dusts of spores sprayed out of the petals, coating the dog food. Taking spoons, the Floramon mixed it up well, being sure to hide the added ingredient.

"Excellent work girls. Now bring this out." Persiamon commanded.

Persiamon turned to leave, flicking her tail in a pleased motion.

"But madam, are you sure this will work?" The Floramon asked.

Persiamon turned around, looking rather annoyed. "Now what did I say about questioning me?" Persiamon asked.

The Floramon immediately cowered and bowed their heads. "Forgive us. We forgot our place."

"You certainly did." Persiamon replied smugly. "As for my plan, it will work. You put enough pollen in that mongrel's food to knock out a Tyrannomon. The boy should be putty in my hands." She added that last part with a giggle. The Floramon giggled as well.

XXX

"Dinner is served." Persiamon greeted to Sho and Labramon.

"About time." Labramon said, getting up from the floor.

The pair followed the feline Ultimate out of the living room and into the dining room. They could tell it was the dining room due to the large finely crafted table. It looked like it could easily seat a party of eight. But the table was not the center of focus. No, it was what was on the table and it made Labramon's mouth water all the more.

The dishes primarily consisted of fish and fish by-products, from fish fillets, fish sticks, noodles with bits of tuna in them, sushi, and even caviar. Labramon was hoping for something more meaty and red, but food was food.

Persiamon motioned for the two of them to join her. Sho walked to his chair and seated himself quietly and politely. Labramon on the other hand, barged past, nearly knocking Sho over. She sat at the end of the table, panting and salivating heavily. The dog digimon then noticed that something was not quite right about this picture. There were only two chairs.

"Where's my chair?" Labramon asked.

"You're a dog, dogs don't sit in chairs." Persiamon replied smugly. Labramon growled. Persiamon clapped her hands together in response and on cue, a Floramon walked out. In her petal hands, she was carrying a bowl, which she set down in front of Labramon.

"Bon appetite!" The Floramon said, before leaving.

Labramon frowned, staring at the goop of an entrée before her. Sho was about to argue in Labramon's defense, when he caught Persiamon's sight. Just at that moment her eyes flashed, her pupils shrinking down to little beads. Sho's thoughts of protesting Labramon's treatment vanished from his mind and he began to eat his meal. Persiamon smiled and did the same.

Labramon hesitantly put her tongue to her food. She figured that starving herself would not benefit anything. She stuck her tongue out until it touched the dog food. Instantly she recoiled. It was the worst thing Labramon had ever tasted.

Persiamon's giggle alerted Labramon. "Oh my, what a life you lead. That Jun sounds positively barbaric!" Said Persiamon. Labramon was so disappointed that she did not hear the conversation playing out. "Well, so long as you are here, you are a welcome guest, Sho my dear." Said Persiamon.

"Sho, my dear!" Labramon said to herself between clenched teeth. Her anger was growing. How dare this, this cat give her human a name of endearment! Worst of all, how dare she rob Labramon of her other love, food!

A shrill yell mixed with a bark erupted. Labramon dove onto the table and began to dig in. It was a frenzy of anger and hunger that took place on that table. Labramon didn't care how she was making herself look, she just wanted to eat and make Persiamon suffer.

"Labramon, down!" Sho shouted. Labramon ignored him, continuing to wolf down the dishes. Sho tried to stop his digimon by pulling her off, but that actually did more harm than good. When Sho managed to grab his digimon and actually pull her off, she tumbled down onto him along with a large bowl of tuna noodles. Sho and Labramon lay on the floor. The bowl had fallen upside down and the noodles had spilled onto Sho's face.

"Sorry." Was all Labramon could say.

Sho immediately shoved Labramon off him, glaring at her angrily. "What is wrong with you!" Sho shouted. Labramon looked up at her partner with a remorseful look. She could not believe what she had done. Persiamon was busy sitting back. She had enjoyed the show, but now it was time to move onto the next act.

"Oh Sho dear, look at you, you're a mess!" Persiamon walked briskly to the boy, wiping the noodles off his face and out of his hair. "You can use my washroom." Said Persiamon. Sho nodded and smiled. Persiamon ushered Sho up the stairs. As they neared the first step, Persiamon placed her paw on Sho's shoulder. Looking back, she flashed a triumphant smile to Labramon. Labramon saw this, but she did nothing for she was still far too embarrassed by her actions.

"What got into me?" Labramon asked herself.

"Excuse me." Labramon turned to see the Floramon holding various cleaning supplies. Obviously, they had heard the commotion and were here to clean up the mess. Labramon obliged and moved to a far corner. The Floramon began their cleaning and Labramon continued to sulk.

For a long time Labramon sat. Maybe she was acting a bit crazy she thought. Quickly that thought was put aside after Labramon thought some more. "No. It's her fault not mine." Labramon said to herself. It all had to be Persiamon's doing. She was the one who was making her Sho-chan act the way he was, she just had to be! Labramon knew she had to do something. Following her nose, she headed up the stairs.

"What should we do? She didn't eat the food." A Floramon asked once Labramon was a considerable distance away. The Floramon pondered how they could keep their mistress's plan in motion. Thus, an idea lit up in their budded heads.

"We'll just have to add some flavor!" The Floramon exclaimed with a giggle. They grabbed the remaining dishes and went to work in the kitchen.

XXX

The warm water splashed over Sho. Persiamon's washroom appeared like that of a stereotypical rich person's, complete with a diamond shaped water handle and a golden faucet. The curtains shared the same leopard design. For some reason, thoughts of Persiamon filled his head. He didn't know why but she was all he could think about. A squeak signaled the water stopping. Drying himself off with a towel Persiamon provided him, Sho then dressed and stepped out. The washroom led out into the hallway. An odd placement, but Sho figured there was a reason for this architectural planning (and it makes a convenient plot device.).

"Hello." A purr said beside Sho. Outside, Persiamon leaned against a wall, flicking her tail around.

"Oh hello." Sho answered back. "Was the shower to your liking?" The cat woman said, again adding the purr in her voice.

Sho smiled and nodded. "Yes it was. Thank you."

Persiamon flashed a cat-like grin, placing both hands around Sho's shoulder. Their eyes locked, gazing at each other almost hypnotically. Persiamon's pupils grew small again just like before at the dinner table.

"Get your paws off my Sho-chan!" Persiamon and Sho turned around to se an angry looking Labramon. With a bark, Labramon charged towards the pair. Keeping Persiamon in her sights, she lunged. Persiamon pushed Sho away and bore her claws. Both canine and feline rolled on the floor, clawing and biting.

"Labramon get off of her!" Sho ordered. Labramon continued to wrestle with Persiamon. "I said get off!" Sho tugged hard on Labramon, pulling her off.

Seeing this, Persiamon curled up into a ball. "Oh that monster. She just attacked me for no reason!"

"Oh don't try to act all innocent, kitty-cat!" Labramon yelled. "That's enough! She didn't do anything wrong!" Sho said, angrily.

Now more than ever Labramon knew something was up. "Sho-chan, this witch is going to do something horrible to you and I'm not going to let some poopy-headed cat do anything to my human!" Labramon shouted. Suddenly Sho felt angry, so he raised his hand.

"_SMACK!_"

What happened at the point shocked and surprised everyone. Labramon bore a red mark on her cheek that could be seen beneath her golden fur. Her eyes were wide in surprise. "Sho-chan?" Labramon asked quietly. Sho himself couldn't believe what he had done. His expression was one of self-bewilderment. It quickly changed to one of seriousness. Thoughts of Persiamon played out in his brain.

"Don't talk that way about Persiamon." Said Sho. Labramon's eyes began to tear up.

Her lips started to quiver and a whimpering came from her throat. Labramon then put on a straight face and looked at Sho with equal seriousness.

"Fine! You can just stay with your cat! I don't care!" Labramon shouted.

Sho watched as Labramon ran off. From where she once stood, there were several wet spots on the floor. Ahead, Labramon had reached the stairs. She was making a sound, yet she was to far away to know what it was. But Sho knew what it was.

Sho almost went after her. He felt bad, but the only girl he could think about was on the floor. "Are you alright?" Sho asked Persiamon.

Persiamon picked herself up. "Why yes, I am." The cat digimon smiled seductively. Things were playing out rather well. She knew now was the time to finish the act. "Would you like to come to my room?" She asked. Without question, Sho replied "Yes." Placing her clawed hand on his shoulder, Persiamon led Sho off.

Below, Labramon ran to the living room door. She tried to open it, but without thumbs, it made for a difficult task. Seeing she was getting nowhere, she proceeded to bang on the door, trying to force it open. However, she quickly gave up and collapsed in a corner. No longer could she hold it in. Labramon cried and she cried hard. The tears flowed out of her eyes, staining the carpet, and wetting her fur. Her bawls were loud and she banged her paws on the carpeted ground.

"How could Sho-chan pick her over me? I'm his digimon." Labramon sobbed. "But who would want me as a digimon?" Labramon bawled yet again, this time burying her head in her paws. The dog digimon was in a state of despair that she didn't think she would get out of.

"Oh the poor pooch!" Labramon looked up, her eyes red and puffy. Assembled in front of her were the Floramon. "We heard you crying and we just felt that we had to do something." Another Floramon said.

"Do something?" Labramon asked with a sniffle.

The Floramon quickly disappeared into the kitchen and soon reappeared holding the bowls and plates from the doomed dinner. "Go on, eat away your troubles." The Floramon said enthusiastically. A growl from her stomach reminded Labramon how hungry she was. If she cold not have her Sho-chan, then she could indulge herself in her other love. So Labramon began to eat the contents of the dishes before her. However, it was the only time she felt no joy in eating.

XXX

Like the washroom, the bedroom held a leopard motif. The blankets, wallpaper, carpet, and even the pictures of the wall shared the style. Persiamon sat on her bed, feeling the spot next to her. "Come on, sit next to me." Persiamon said, patting the blanket.

Sho stood there, gazing at Persiamon. He was fixated on her looks, her voice. It called to him. Like before in the hallway, he obeyed without question. As soon as he sat down, Persiamon grabbed him and flung him down. The teenager bounced as his eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Comfy?" Persiamon asked. Sho nodded. He was concentrating more on her voice. His eyes never looked away from hers. "That's good." Said Persiamon. Persiamon's eyes grew small again. Sho continued to look. Unbeknownst to him his mind was completely clouding over. Any traces of sentient thoughts were leaving him.

"This place is nice, but I know someplace nicer." Persiamon said, whispering into Sho's ear.

XXX

"URP!" A loud burp boomed through the dining room. Its source was a very fat and content looking Labramon. She now looked the way she did at the eating contest in Driver City. "S'cuse me." Said Labramon.

Labramon had eagerly devoured all the food that was leftover from dinner. The Floramon were surprised that Labramon was still awake after all that because they had put enough "Rain of Pollen" into the food to knock out even an Ultimate level digimon. Yet Labramon was still standing. They figured it must have something to do with her stomach. The Rookie had consumed enough food to give oneself a stomachache. Even after finishing off those fish related dishes, Labramon kept on asking for more. Therefore, the Floramon obliged and brought out whatever they could from the fridge and pantries. Now they were bare and Labramon wanted more to munch.

"More food, please." Labramon replied monotonously. The Floramon held their mouths open in bewilderment and quickly entered the kitchen. Labramon sighed, placed a paw on her bulging belly, and began to rub it. It felt taut to the touch, surely from the amount she had consumed. Despite her fullness, Labramon wanted more. She was a true glutton. No joy could be found in this, since Labramon was too depressed to really enjoy herself.

"Guess this is all I'm good for." Said Labramon, giving her belly a few pats. This provoked her body to shake from another burp. Another sound followed it, a yawn. "Oh I feel a little sleepy." Said Labramon, yawning yet again.

Inside the kitchen, the Floramon debated on what to do next. "What are we supposed to do? She's eaten everything. Oh madam is not going to be happy about this." A Floramon lamented. The Floramon thought hard on this, surely they couldn't feed her any more and their pollen didn't seem to have any effect.

"It's time for us to take action!" A Floramon spoke up. "What?" The other Floramon asked. "I say we just grab her. That way we can please madam." The other Floramon said. Everyone agreed this was the best plan of action. The girls left the kitchen and entered the dining room with determination on their faces. The moment they arrived, a surprise greeted them.

Lying on her back, belly rising up and down in motion with the snores, was a slumbering Labramon. "I guess the pollen finally kicked in." Taking no moment to relax, the Floramon quickly went to work. The five Floramon held out their flower hands. "Stamen Rope!" The yellow stamens extended, wrapping themselves around Labramon's tail and legs. Straining, they began to pull. A snore from Labramon briefly halted them, but they quickly resumed their task.

XXX

"Labramon." A voice called out. Labramon opened her eyes, but instead of the familiar surroundings of the dining room, a white room greeted her. In fact, it was so white it almost seemed like it was glowing.

Labramon craned her head around to see who was calling her. Seated in some sort of chair matching the color of the room, was a robed figure. From the shape, it seemed to be a female and a child, no older than a teenager was. The hood was pulled up obscuring the face. Labramon had seen this figure before and so did Sakura, from their dreams.

"Wait a minute, I know you. You're Maya." Said Labramon. The girl nodded her head in confirmation.

"Labramon don't give up on Sho. He needs you." Said Maya. Labramon looked down. "It didn't seem that way to me. He has Persiamon now." Labramon replied with depression in her voice.

"You and I know that she is clouding his mind and without you he will be lost. You are the only one who can help him." Said Maya. Labramon pawed at the ground absentmindedly. She knew it was the truth, but she was still hurt. "In the end you know you can't deny your feelings to him." Maya continued.

Labramon's eyes widened in realization. She looked up with determination in her eyes. "You're right! I've gotta help Sho-chan. He's my partner after all!" Labramon yipped.

Underneath her hood, Maya was smiling. "Good! Now wake up!" The girl replied.

"Wait a minute, do I know you?" Labramon asked. However, she did not receive her answer as her eyes opened, ending the dream.

Labramon felt that she was slowly being moved across the floor. Curiously she turned her head up to see the Floramon dragging her. "She weighs a ton!" One of the Floramon complained. "That's what happens when…" The Floramon did not have a chance to finish as she and the others noticed Labramon staring at them.

Before they could act, Labramon wriggled around until the Floramon let go both from the shock of their captive awakening and from the consistent moving. Labramon hoisted her hefty self as much as she could to her feet.

"Get her! We have to make sure she stays out of Madam's way!" The lead Floramon commanded. "Rain of Pollen!" The Floramon said in unison intending to use the direct approach of their attack instead of lacing it within food. Labramon knew she had to act quickly as she saw the yellow cloud coming toward her.

"Retrieve BarUUURRRPPP!" Labramon had just called out her attack but in a weird twist of fate, a burp coupled with it. Amplified by the gassy release, the "Retrieve Bark" knocked the pollen back along with the Floramon. The flower girls crashed into the wall, being knocked out by their own attack and the force of the crash.

"Oh excuse me!" Labramon said, putting a paw to her mouth. Labramon didn't expect that to happen. Now she was thankful she had such a large appetite. "Hmm, I am still a little hungry." Labramon said to herself before shaking her head. "No, Sho-chan comes first! You got that?" Labramon directed this last comment to her stomach, which seemed to growl in disappointment.

Nodding her head, Labramon dashed up the stairs. Actually, dash would not be the correct word. With such a belly weighing her down, Labramon was doing more lumbering than dashing. By the time she had reached the top of the stairs, Labramon was huffing and puffing.

"Hoo boy!" Labramon said tiredly panting. Taking a brief moment to rest, Labramon began to sniff for Sho's scent. The trail brought her to one of the many doors in the hallway. Here, another problem presented itself, Labramon was thumb incapable and the door was shut. Probing her mind for a thought, Labramon came up with the perfect solution.

Bracing herself, Labramon called out "Retrieve BarUUURRRPPP!" Sure enough, the attack blasted the door down. Labramon waddled inside ready to face Persiamon. When she entered, there was no trace of the feline nor Sho.

Labramon was not giving up, so she sniffed around for any trace of a scent. She was sure this is where they were. Her nose had never been wrong before. The trail ended at a wall. Curious and confused, Labramon pawed at it.

"There's gotta be a way in." Said Labramon. Labramon thought back to when she and Sho were exploring the ruins where Boogeymon had been holding the others. Feeling around with her paws, Labramon searched for anything that could open the room. Luck just happened to be on her side. A small part of the wall sank in when her paw touched it. The wall where her trail ran cold moved upwards, revealing a downward path.

Labramon smiled, but changed to a frown upon seeing what was below her. More stairs. "Oh well. Better down than up." Labramon said, trying to reassure herself. Labramon descended down the stairs. The further she went, the darker it became. She was slightly frightened, but her determination to save Sho was greater. The stairs ended, but the only thing that greeted Labramon was a blank stone wall.

"Again!" Labramon said in exasperated annoyance. The scent was the strongest at this spot. There was no doubt that Sho was here. Again Labramon felt around for a switch, but to her shock, her paw went right through! Yelping in surprise, she pulled back her paw.

This was it. Either she could turn back, or go forward. She went forward. Her body melted into the wall, disappearing completely. "Well, well, the pooch finally appears. And we seemed to have put on a little weight while we were gone." A curt voice purred. Labramon instantly knew who it was.

"Persiamon!" Labramon growled.

The room itself resembled a dungeon. Various equipment was strewn about bearing resemblance to S&M tools. "Oh my, you seem upset and I was just about to have some fun with my new toy." Said Persiamon. On cue, Sho walked out from behind Persiamon. His eyes were glazed over, no light shining from them.

"Sho-chan, don't worry. I'm going to save you!" Labramon cried. Sho ignored her and knelt down beside Persiamon. Persiamon held out her paw which Sho took and kissed. Labramon hung her mouth open then closed it, staring with jealousy. "Okay you little pussy…cat, I'm leaving with Sho-chan, so hand him over!" Labramon demanded.

"Oh I don't think so. I so love my new little plaything." Persiamon replied.

Labramon's anger rose. "Sho-chan is not your plaything!"

Persiamon's smile only grew, showing off her teeth. "But that's what all men really are…just playthings for my amusement."

Persiamon knelt down to Sho's eye level and caressed his cheek. "Since I received this great power, I've been able to cloud men's thoughts much more easily. Who would have thought humans were so cute?" Persiamon mused.

"Great power?" Labramon questioned. Whatever Persiamon was talking about Labramon had more pressing matters to turn to. "I don't care what kind of power you received, you made my Sho-chan act like a meanie to me. I won't forgive you!" Labramon exclaimed.

Persiamon stood up, putting her hands on her sides. "Oh why are you so defensive about this?" Persiamon asked. The nit hit her. "Oh I see. You love him, don't you?" Labramon blushed, nodding her head. Persiamon erupted into a laughing fit.

"Shut up!" Labramon demanded. Persiamon did not stop. She continued to laugh, angering Labramon. "Retrieve Bark!" Labramon launched her attack (this one was burp free) hoping to silence Persiamon. Persiamon saw this and quickly dodged.

"I'm sorry, but you have to admit that's dumb. Why would he have you as a lover when he could have me?" Persiamon lunged at Labramon outstretching her claws. Labramon eeped and waddled out of the way.

"Don't worry I'll take good care of him. It's just a shame we digimon delete upon death. Your pelt would have looked very nice in my bedroom."

Labramon knew that she would not be any match for Persiamon. She was only a Rookie while Persiamon was an Ultimate. Without Sho, she couldn't evolve. That didn't stop Labramon. She would fight until the bitter end.

Rising to her feet, Labramon locked her eyes on her opponent. Another Retrieve Bark was launched but merely batted away. Persiamon began to dance in a suggestive motion. "Vampire Dance!" Persiamon stopped moving, releasing an invisible wave of energy towards Labramon. The poor dog was thrown aside. The fact that her stomach was stuffed made it even more painful. Despite her pain, Labramon rose to her feet.

"How are you still standing?" Persiamon asked.

"Because I fight for my Sho-chan and I will continue to do so as long as there is life in me." Replied Labramon.

"Oh blah! That is so cheesy." Persiamon mocked.

Persiamon released another Vampire Dance knocking Labramon against the equipment. Again Labramon rose, her body showing signs of bruising because of the metal slamming down on her. Persiamon ran to Labramon, picking her up and tossing her again. Labramon hit the floor, sliding across it.

"This has been fun, but I have things to do, men to play with." Said Persiamon. "Over my dead body, you hussy!" Labramon spat. "I said I'm going to fight for Sho-chan as long as I live. He's my friend and I'm not going to let you take him away from me!" Labramon proclaimed.

Sho had been sitting in the same spot since the battle had begun. Now something was different. His mind was starting to clear and thoughts of Persiamon were starting to vanish. This had begun as soon as Labramon had given her speech. Slowly, he started to move. Persiamon's back was turned preventing her form viewing this.

Persiamon laughed again. "Bold words, but I'm done with you." Persiamon scoffed. Persiamon raised her claw to strike. That is, until she felt a sharp tug behind her. Persiamon immediately thought, who had the audacity to pull her tail, but she got her answer by turning around. Staring up at her with clear eyes was Sho.

"Stop hurting Labramon!" He demanded. Persiamon was shocked. She had no idea how Sho could have broken her hypnotism.

Grabbing him, Persiamon held Sho to her eyes. "I don't know how you regained your senses, but I'll fix that!" Said Persiamon. Persiamon's eyes grew small as she begun to hypnotize Sho.

Labramon struggled to her feet. For once she had noticed something. The jewel braiding Persiamon's hair was glowing. Taking her chances, Labramon moved herself towards Persiamon. A snap of her teeth was all that was needed to pull the jewel out. Persiamon's eyes returned to their normal state. She felt something was wrong. Unfortunately, it was too late. The moment she turned around, she saw Labramon tossing the jewel from her mouth. It flew through the air and shattered on the hard stone floor.

"No!" Persiamon cried, dropping Sho and rushing to the broken mess.

Sho brushed some loose strands of his hair out of his face before looking at Labramon. "Labramon?" He asked.

Labramon was on the verge of tears again. These tears were not of sorrow but of joy. "Sho-chan!" Labramon cried, rushing over to her partner. Sho was bombarded with face licks mixed with tears. "Oh Sho-chan, I had thought I had lost you!" Labramon said, fully letting herself cry.

Sho embraced Labramon in a tight hug. "Labramon, I'm so sorry." He apologized.

Labramon sniffed. "That's okay Sho-chan. Apology accepted, but how did you get back to normal?" She asked.

"I heard your voice." Sho answered.

"My voice?" Labramon inquired.

Sho nodded. "It was strange. My mind was completely blank, but I heard you talking about how you wanted to protect me."

Labramon was touched. Her words had reached Sho and now she had him back.

"You!" Sho and Labramon turned to see a furious looking Persiamon.

"You've ruined everything!" She angrily hissed. Sho held up his digivice.

"Are you ready?" He asked Labramon. Labramon nodded.

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**" In a flash, Labramon stood as the golden beast known as Shiisamon (complete with a trim tummy). Shiisamon and Persiamon lunged at each other. It was a reenactment of their earlier fight in the hallway. Although the fight was almost on equal terms in level and much fiercer. It was a classic feud between a cat and a dog.

Sho gripped his digivice tightly. "Come on Shiisamon, you can do it!" Sho cried.

Persiamon glared at Sho. "A filthy cur can never match me!" She proclaimed.

"Don't call my best friend, filthy!" Sho angrily yelled.

Shiisamon was taken aback. "Best friend?" She repeated.

Sho put his free hand to his chest. "And I'll fight with her if I have to." Sho said with an unusual boldness in his voice. Sho and Shiisamon's hearts beat in unison. Together they felt a growing power and that now was the time to release it. A blue glow erupted from Sho's digivice, illuminating the room. Shiisamon's golden body shone the same color. The signs of friendship shone on Sho's chest and on the screen of his digivice.

"**Shiisamon super evolve! Cerberusmon!**" The light died down, revealing Shiisamon's new form. Sho looked at his digimon's Ultimate form in both awe and a bit of fear. Instead of bright shiny fur and a golden mane, this digimon was covered in black armored plates covering orange skin. A similar plated tail swayed from her behind. Sharp blades sprouted from her front and back paws. On each of her shoulders, seated like pads, were black dog heads. The digimon's main head sat between them, white hair spreading out and sharp teeth bearing out of her maw. She looked herself over before giving a grin.

"Look at me, I look so cool!" The digimon shouted. The newly evolved digimon pranced towards Sho, skidding right in front of him. Sho felt a bit imposed in front of his fierce looking digimon, but that feeling disappeared when a big wet tongue went across his face.

"Oh Sho-chan, I evolved for you!" She happily said, continuing to shower him with licks. Sho was surprised by the maturity of her voice but yet she acted like a puppy. He pulled out his digimon analyzer and pointed it at his digimon.

Digimon: Cerberusmon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Demon Beast

Attacks: Mad Dog Fire, Inferno Gates

Now was not the time for pleasantries. The boy and his dog both knew they had to fight. Cerberusmon lay down, looking at Sho. "Well, are you coming?" She asked.

"Huh?" Sho replied, confused. "You said you would fight with me. Besides, you're the only one who I'll ever let ride me." Said Cerberusmon with a wink.

Sho nodded remembering he did say that. So, he climbed onto his digimon's back and they both looked forward with determination. Persiamon stood at the opposite end not looking very pleased with the recent turn of events. Hissing loudly, she pushed her arms forward. "Helter Skelter!" She cried, sending out a beam of ice.

"Mad Dog Fire!" Cerberusmon sprayed forth a stream of emerald colored fire from her mouth. The fire hit the ice beam causing a mist to appear, covering the area. Persiamon closed her eyes from the mist that obscured her vision. She quickly opened them to see Cerberusmon in front of her. A stream of "Mad Dog Fire" bellowed out, as Persiamon quickly jumped in the air, using Cerberusmon's head as leverage to leap.

"Oh no you don't! Inferno Gates!" A black mist sprayed forth from Cerberusmon's shoulder heads enveloping everything. The entire room was covered in darkness.

"Stupid mutt! Cats can see in the dark!" Persiamon's voice sounded out through the darkness.

A metal cling hit Cerberusmon's side. Not that it made any difference due to Cerberusmon's plated body, but the claws occasionally nicked her open skin. Cerberusmon gritted her teeth in pain and Sho did as well, sharing his digimon's pain.

"She's too fast!" Said Cerberusmon.

Sho remembered Kazuya's experiences when Gazimon first reached Ultimate level. "Cerberusmon, close your eyes." Said Sho.

Cerberusmon didn't question him and did what she was told. Sho did the same and the two of them began to focus. They ignored the metal clings and focused their minds to see through the darkness.

"There." They both said in unison.

Cerberusmon swiped her claw through seemingly empty space. Only it wasn't empty, as Persiamon had been hit. Persiamon tumbled to the ground. She barely had time to react when she heard another cry of "Mad Dog Fire!" All she could do was scream, as the emerald colored flames engulfed her. The flames soon died down and the darkness faded.

Persiamon lay on the ground, struggling to get up. Her body was horribly blackened and most of her clothing, fur and hair had been burnt off. Suddenly a sound erupted from her throat. "What's wrong with her?" Cerberusmon asked. "Hairball maybe?" Sho replied.

Persiamon's throat finished its convulsing, but what came out was not a hairball. Wriggling in a pool of regurgitation was a small, black tadpole like creature. Both Sho and Cerberusmon noticed that it bore similarities to those creatures that attacked them in the hotel. The creature dissolved in a plume of black mist and data particles.

"My power." Persiamon croaked.

"Power?" Sho and Cerberusmon said in unison. "My gift from the dark ones. It gave me my hypnotism ability and the power to create this back dimension. It is a shame I won't see you perish." Persiamon said, before collapsing and deleting into nothingness.

"What exactly did she mean by that?" Sho asked. He got his answer as the room began to shake. The walls cracked, spilling forth wisps of darkness. The ceiling began to fall in small bits. Small black gates began to appear erratically. The back dimension was failing.

"Everything is breaking!" Cerberusmon yelled.

"I guess without its creator the back dimension won't remain." Said Sho. They both knew they had to escape. But how, they wondered. Looking around, Cerberusmon noticed the gates that were appearing ever so randomly. Deciding to take another chance, Cerberusmon ran forward.

"Uh Cerberusmon, what are you doing?" Sho asked.

"Trust me." Cerberusmon replied. Cerberusmon continued running towards a crumbling wall. She kept on her track, never moving her eyes. She was waiting for the right moment. Just then, a black gate appeared and Cerberusmon leapt for it with Sho in tow. They instantly vanished and the back dimension ceased to be.

XXX

Sho had closed his eyes, anticipating his doom. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see not blackness, but a blue sky. He noticed he was on the ground, but Cerberusmon was nowhere in sight. He felt a wriggling underneath him. He looked down and saw a small digimon crawl out from beneath him.

The digimon bore a resemblance to Labramon. Unlike Labramon, it lacked the dog body, but it did share the same fur color along with the ears, nose, and curly tail. Its eyes were pure black, but they held no malice within them, only joy. Standing on four, pink colored feet, it wagged its tail happily.

"We made it, Sho-chan!" The digimon said in a childish voice. Sho didn't have to ask who it was. Pulling out his digimon analyzer, Sho identified his digimon's new form.

Digimon: Shaomon

Level: In-Training

Attribute: Data

Type: Lesser

Attack: Tsuumo

"Guess evolution took a lot out of you." Said Sho, putting away his analyzer. Shaomon giggled and leapt into Sho's arms. Reaching up, she began to lick him. "Okay, hey, hey, that's enough!" Sho cried.

"Sorry. I'm just so happy to see you!" Shaomon said, happily. She nestled herself into Sho's chest. "I'm always happy to see you." She said with endearment.

A growl interrupted the tender moment. "Can we find something to eat? I'm hungry." Shaomon said.

"You're a bottomless pit, you know that?" Said Sho. Shaomon looked down, feeling disappointed. "But you know what? You're _my_ bottomless pit." Sho said, petting Shaomon.

Shaomon immediately perked up. "Sho-chan, did you mean what you said about us being best friends?" Shaomon asked.

"Of course! I just wish I had acted like that earlier." Said Sho. Shaomon licked Sho. "Silly, it wasn't your fault, it was that stupid kitty. Besides, I forgive you a thousand times. If I'm your best friend, then you're mine." Shaomon said, proudly.

Seeing that they had to keep moving, the pair decided to leave. Mt. Miharashi could be seen behind them growing smaller as they walked. Shaomon was happy that she and Sho were officially best friends. She just hoped that they could become more than that.

To be continued….

A/N: Finally I got this done. Working eight hours a day, five days a week and having to commute on a bus ride to and back from work. Guess this shows I am committed to my literary work. Although my next goal is to find a closer place to work. Anyway I would like to thank all those who have read and reviewed my story. Until the next update.


	24. Chapter 24

Penguinmon was happy. He had never been so happy in his entire life. A crudely colored sun shone down on the fields of grass and flowers. Penguinmon waddled through happily, waving to the friendly digimon who he passed.

"Oh, hey little Pen Pen!" Penguinmon smiled or rather he simply opened his beak due to him not having any lips. He knew that voice and he couldn't be happier.

"Jun!" Penguinmon shouted happily. Penguinmon waddled forward, his flippers outstretched in front of him. Jun did the same as Penguinmon happily leapt into her arms. The two of them embraced in a hug of affection. At long last Penguinmon felt that his partner believed in him.

"Penguinmon?" Jun asked.

"Yes Jun?" Penguinmon answered back.

Staring at her, Penguinmon anticipated the words of kindness that would surely be exchanged between them.

"WAKE UP!" Jun shouted.

Penguinmon's eyes shot open as he came to reality. In his face was not the happy Jun from before, but the usual grumpy-who-yells-at-her-digimon-a lot Jun.

"What happened? The sun…the grass…everything was so happy!?" Penguinmon asked in frantic confusion.

"You were dreaming, you idiot!" Jun said, dropping Penguinmon to the ground.

Penguinmon noticed the changed surroundings. Actually, the smell was the first thing that got to him. A horrible odor hung in the air. All around him was garbage. Piles of slop towered to the sky. Bits of gunk, trash, metal debris and various other things long discarded lay about.

"What is this place?" Penguinmon asked, putting his flippers over his beak.

"Hell if I know. All I remember is those black things attacking us and then waking up in this dump." Jun replied.

Truth be told, it was a dump and a very repugnant one at that. Jun was cursing her luck right about now.

"Oh this is so perfect! I just had to wind up in a place like this!" Jun said sarcastically.

"It could be worse, Jun." Penguinmon said trying to cheer up his partner.

Jun glared at him. "How could it be worse?"

Penguinmon opened his beak up to answer but stopped to think a moment. "Um, well eh, we could be dead." Penginmon answered.

Jun looked around the trash heap, holding her nose. "I guess." She replied.

That answer still did not pacify her. She would rather be anywhere else than here, but she had to make due with whatever was thrown at her. Jun had a tough reputation to uphold and one such as her could not just back down and throw a fit because they were in a land of garbage.

"Come on, we better find a way out." Jun said, walking off.

"Wait up!" Penguinmon cried, waddling after her.

Considerably away from their starting point, Jun and Penguinmon did not notice a pair watching from the shadows the garbage piles cast.

"You see that?" One figure asked in a rather unintelligent sounding voice.

"Yup, I sure did." The other voice replied sounding equally unintelligent.

Puddles of drool formed underneath them. "Oh she makes me drool, she's so hot!" One said to the other.

"I know what you mean. We got to go tell the others about this!" The other replied.

They disappeared deep into the garbage kingdom to inform the rest of their brethren. All the way, they chuckled, leaving a trail of drool in their wake.

--

Walking along the beach seemed longer than it had appeared. Chiisi had been walking for quite a while. DemiDevimon was perched upon his partner's shoulder, his usual spot. Nothing of interest had happened. It was very formulaic, walk, waves go in and out, walk, waves go in and out.

"This is getting boring." DemiDevimon said, yawing as he stretched out his wings.

"I find it peaceful." Chiisi replied.

DemiDevimon noticed his partner seemed at ease in this realm. The boy sighed, relaxing his shoulders. The sea air breathed through his nostrils. He took it in, almost savoring it.

"You alright?" DemiDevimon asked.

"Yes, of course I am." Chiisi answered.

DemiDevimon accepted the answer. He admitted to himself that he was glad that his partner shared in his comfort of darkness. Being a dark digimon, it wasn't surprising that he found solace. Yet why a human would feel equal solace alarmed him, but only slightly. Humans did not have the heightened senses that digimon possessed, yet here Chiisi was, a human boy in tune with darkness.

"Alright, if you say so." Said DemiDevimon.

The usual routine began. They walked and the sea rolled in and out. Something broke the routine just so, suddenly. Staring out of the sea, Chiisi sensed something. A voice maybe? No, more like feelings.

"_Anyone!? Help!?_" Far out in the watery horizon a voice broke through.

"Did you hear that?" Chiisi asked.

DemiDevimon raised a quizzical eye. "Hear what?" He asked.

Looking out toward the sea, Chiisi craned his head left and right. He was searching, searching for any sign of life.

"I heard someone, a woman." Said Chiisi.

"A woman?" DemiDevimon inquired.

"Yeah, she was screaming for help." Chiisi answered.

DemiDevimon joined Chiisi in his search, flapping through the air right and left. "Uh kid, I don't see or hear anybody." DemiDevimon admitted.

Surprise entered Chiisi's mind. He was certain he heard someone. Perhaps his imagination, he considered. This world was not like the Digital World or his own world for that matter. Giving up, he decided to press onward.

"_Help!" _The voice broke through yet again. Chiisi knew he heard it that time. There was no way it was not real. He gazed toward the sea with a fierce intensity. Far out, he could see fog forming. First, it was at a distance but then it appeared to be growing closer. Soon it was no longer a mere appearance. The fog had grown closer! Chiisi looked around and stopped when he looked below his feet. He was floating in midair. Below him was the sea. No sign of the beach was in sight.

"_Is anyone out there!?_" An alarmed female voice came through the fog. The sound of frantic splashing followed as a figure swam thru.

A young Japanese woman probably no older than her mid twenties was in the water. Fear gripped her eyes as she looked around. One thing Chiisi noticed that set her apart from many other women Chiisi had met was her hair. It was short and blond, much like his own. He knew he had seen this woman somewhere before but he couldn't put his mind around it.

"_Hello! Help me please!_" The woman shouted again, almost weeping.

"I'm right here, don't worry!" Chiisi shouted back.

The woman gave no response and continued to look around. Chiisi waved his arms and continued to shout. Yet the woman gave no indication that she heard him. This was getting strange. Not that the situation was not strange before, it was just Chiisi was close enough for her to hear him. It was as if he was a spirit.

Both Chiisi and the woman were about to scream out again when a loud splash interrupted them. The fog soon rolled in and a loud scream accompanied it.

"Hey Kid!" Chiisi snapped to attention.

DemiDevimon was flying in his face. He had a visible look of worry and concern.

Chiisi looked around. He was back on the beach. No fog, no water, no woman.

"What happened?" Chiisi asked.

"Don't know. You just blanked out for a second. Anyway, glad to see you're still among the living." Answered DemiDevimon.

Chiisi sighed. "Let's get going." The boy said. So they walked along the beach and the sea rolled in and out.

--

"Great, this place is a maze now." Said Jun.

She and Penguinmon had not reached any exit. The land of garbage grew more and more looming. The piles were large, blocking out the sun, giving a sense of night to the surrounding area. The smell was not getting nay better either.

"Ugh, if there is a kami-sama he must hate me." Jun said, holding her nose.

"Don't think like that Jun." Said Penguinmon, still holding his flippers over his beak.

Jun stopped and put her hands on her hips. She turned around with an annoyed look on her face.

"Why not? I mean here I am, it's smelly, its gross, and I think the scent is starting to stick to my clothes." Jun complained.

Seeing a nearby can, Jun kicked it, sending it flying into a pile of garbage. A few bits of metal scrap tumbled down from the impact.

"My life is just loads of crap. This place might as well match it." Said Jun.

Penguinmon didn't like seeing his partner so upset. Whenever she got upset she got grumpy and that was not good for anyone. He wanted to cheer her up in any way he could.

"Don't worry Jun, I'll protect you from whatever comes our way." Said Penguinmon. He put a comforting flipper on her leg. Putting it on her shoulder would have made more sense, but being that he was too short the leg would have to do.

Jun nearly reached down to smack him. However, she knew there was no perverted undertone behind it. Penguinmon was not Gazimon.

"Ok, fine whatever." Jun said simple as that. She did not want to get too mushy. She had a tough front to show. Just then, a soft rustle alerted her. Yet again a few pieces of scrap tumbled down. That wasn't what surprised her, only what came next.

"YEEEAHHH!" Loud twin voices exploded out of the trash pile. Landing in front of them, Jun and Penguinmon got a good look at their attackers.

They figured they were digimon. What else could they be? Now what they were exactly was not clear. They looked like yellow spiral piles of sludge. Their only limbs were a pair of arms with belts and bandages around them. Long tongues lolled out of their mouths which were filled with rows of teeth. Upon seeing them, Jun's mind flashed back to a previous memory. It was in the jungle after Boogeymon's defeat. She had found a soda machine and that was when those Numemon broke out. She distinctly remembered the shape of the little "presents" they left behind.

"They're walking pieces of shit!" Jun exclaimed.

"Shit?" The strange digimon said in confusion. "We're Sukamon." They answered.

The Sukamon stared at Jun lustfully with their brown colored irises. "What the hell are you staring at!?" Jun asked, disturbed.

"You're pretty." Said the Sukamon.

Jun and Penguinmon took a few steps backward. Neither of them liked where this was going. Only one thought was in their heads, and that was to run. So they did.

Neither of them got very far. The moment they turned, two steaming piles of feces (yes feces not sludge) landed in front of them. Two more Sukamon jumped out of nowhere, obviously the throwers of the disgusting projectiles. Their mouths drooled as they gazed at Jun.

Jun raised her fists up, ready to fight off her unwanted admirers. However, Penguinmon stepped in front of her.

"I won't let you touch Jun!" Penguinmon said defiantly.

Penguinmon knew he had to be brave…even if his opponents were living piles of excrement.

"Okay this is it! Time to show what I am made of!" He thought.

He waddled forward ready to assault them with a string of "Endless Slappings". He didn't get the chance as he was assaulted with poop. Continuously they threw until the bird digimon was covered in a small pile. He lost all senses as the smell overwhelmed him.

"Oh come on, its just crap!" Jun said. The Sukamon behind her snuck up and grabbed her arms.

"Hey let me go!" She shouted. The other Sukamon grabbed her legs, pushing her down. The whole lot of Sukamon held her up above them.

"Hyuk, you're coming with us pretty lady." One of the Sukamon said.

Jun thrashed and screamed for them to let her go, but to no avail. The quartet vanished into the trash kingdom along with their prize.

Behind them, Penguinmon slowly regained consciousness. "Jun." He muttered. Only after he looked himself over did he realize his position.

"Eww, gross, yuck!" Penguinmon shouted repeatedly. He tried to get the smelly mess off him. Thankfully it slid off, but the smell remained.

The moment he cleaned off, he waddled forward, searching for a trace of Jun. Regrettably his partner was nowhere to be found. Penguinmon slumped down in sadness. He had failed to protect his partner.

--

Jun continued to shout as she was hauled off. Mainly she shouted obscenities and cursed the Sukamon's mothers if they had any. Nothing seemed to work as the Sukamon hopped along.

The hopping stopped and Jun was let down with a drop. She immediately rose to her feet and looked at her surroundings.

"Wonderful!" She said sarcastically.

They had stopped in some sort of village. Houses made out of scrap and other junk stood about. The usual towers of garbage stood on all sides as well as several smaller piles on the ground. There was just one problem with this picture, everywhere there was Sukamon. They sat on piles of garbage while some just lay on the ground. In general they were doing nothing. That all changed when they saw Jun. The Sukamon lying around immediately stood to attention and rushed to Jun.

"Get away from me, you creeps!" Jun said, running off and slapping any Sukamon hands that attempted to grab her. More Sukamon poured out of the houses and followed the girl.

"Jeez, how many of these things are there?" Jun asked herself.

She briefly turned her head to watch her pursuers. Noting how many there were, she decided that running even faster would be a definite yes. She turned her head to the front and quickly skidded to a stop at what was in front of her. Seated on an old looking recliner was another Sukamon. What separated this Sukamon form the others was that he wore a crown made of metal. Two other Sukamon stood on his sides acting as if they were guards. Jun turned around to find that the throng of Sukamon now surrounded her. Seeing no way out, she decided to concede. She then took out her digimon analyzer. She figured she might as well get some info on the Sukamon.

Digimon: Sukamon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Mutant

Attacks: Poop, Poop Paradise.

"Very original sounding attacks." Said Jun, displaying more sarcasm.

The crowned Sukamon jumped off his recliner and hopped toward Jun. The fecal digimon looked her over. When he opened his mouth wide, drool poured out. Jun cringed in disgust.

"Yep, you're the one!" The crowned Sukamon exclaimed.

The assembled Sukamon gave out several gasps of joy and joined in the drool fest.

"One what?" Jun asked, annoyed at her current situation.

The Sukamon stopped drooling and focused all their attention on Jun. "Why, the one who is to be our wife, of course." The crowned Sukamon said.

Jun could not believe what she had just heard. "WHAT!?" She shouted so loudly that anyone could hear.

"That's right. You're the most beautiful girl we have ever laid eyes on." The crowned Sukamon continued. "So, we decided to make you queen of the Sukamon."

Jun's face twisted in fear. Normally she would have fought back, but the situation was just far too disturbing. And she didn't want to get anymore repugnant than she already was.

"We still have to prepare for the wedding, so we'll make you comfortable in the meantime." Said the crowned Sukamon. The other Sukamon grabbed Jun, dragging her off into a nearby house.

"Let me go!" Jun shouted. Again she thrashed around, trying to wriggle out of their grips, but it was no use.

--

Penguinmon sat moping. Since he had lost track of Jun, all he had been doing was feeling sorry for himself.

"I should have done something." Penguinmon said to no one in particular.

Truth be told, Penguinmon had no idea what he should have done. The Sukamon were much bigger than he was and he was well…. small and weak. Or so he had been told many times. Now he was starting to believe it, more so than before.

Despite the shortcomings Penguinmon applied to himself, there was one thing that was present in his mind…Jun.

"Someone has to save her." Penguinmon began.

He looked up and his saddened look changed to one of realization. The thoughts of his partner continued to weigh against his brain. Even if he was a wimp, he was Jun's digimon and at this point, no one else could save her but him. Actually, he figured there were probably other digimon better suited to the task, yet he knew the chances of one powerful digimon showing up out of nowhere were slim to nigh impossible.

"It's up to me then!" Said Penguinmon. His face hardened from realization to seriousness.

Putting away all of his fears, Penguinmon waddled up to some junk pile and took some of the sludgy gunk which formed much of the tower of trash. He smeared two brown stripes right under his eyes. His face still held it's seriousness until his eyes started to water.

"Agghh! It burns, it smells!" Penguinmon screamed as the fumes from the gunk floated towards his eyes. Fanning his flippers helped to ease the burning sensation. Soon it was gone.

"Okay, now back to saving Jun!" Penguinmon said, blinking back some tears. He waddled off determined to keep the one he cared about safe from harm. Although his fears were still present in his mind, he knew for now he would have to conquer them.

--

Jun sat uncomfortably in the back of the Sukamon hut. The disgusting digimon were busy preparing something in the back. Judging form the dirty and somewhat damaged sewing machine, it appeared to be a dress. Not just any dress though, a wedding dress. Oddly enough, there was scattered junk everywhere such as tin cans and plastic soda can holders.

"Why me?" Jun lamentably asked herself. She thought about escaping. She could probably take on the Sukamon in the room but she didn't want to risk being overtaken by the rest outside. Not even she was that confident in her fighting abilities. All she wondered was how she was going to get out of this situation. For now there did not seem like any way.

"_But there's Penguinmon._"Jun thought to herself.

Yes, Penguinmon was left behind and the little bird was bound to protect her. Yet he was a coward Jun reminded herself. Jun scoffed as she imagined Penguinmon shivering in fear at the thought of running into the Sukamon village. Those thoughts almost made her abolish the idea entirely. The thoughts did not leave much to her surprise or lack of surprise. Something inside her told her to put faith in Penguinmon.

"It's done!" Jun looked up to see that the Sukamon had finished her dress.

Instead of the beautiful white of normal wedding dresses, it was a drab, dirty, gray. Several of those plastic soda holders were sewn into the fabric like a belt. The Sukamon held it up, beckoning Jun to try it on. Jun balled up her fists and she scowled.

She was about to release her anger when she remembered that these things were living pieces of poo. The idea of punching creatures made out of poo did not sit well with her.

"The beret stays on." She stated pointing to the maroon colored beret atop her head. Obliging, the Sukamon handed her the dress and Jun reluctantly put it on. She was sure she could find a way out of this mess if a chance presented itself. However, she knew she was simply trying to hide her own personal feelings.

"_Penguinmon._" She thought.

--

Penguinmon knew he had to do this right. After all, he was trying to save his partner. He moved stealthily (or as stealthily as a penguin could) through the trash piles. Each time he moved, he looked both ways making sure that no one was following him.

"Alright go!" He said silently to himself, moving through and holding up his flippers in defense. Again, he checked to make sure the coast was clear before moving on.

The bird digimon had never felt like this before. His renewed feeling put aside the fears he held previously. Now all he wanted was to find his partner. He found it odd that he had encountered no Sukamon since he had begun his search. With the size of this place it was a certainty that there were more than the quartet that had assaulted them earlier. Penguinmon soon got his answer as he rounded a corner. In front of him stood some sort of village populated by Sukamon.

He quickly turned back, making sure they did not notice him. Thankfully they didn't. They were all too busy gathering in the far corner. Another group appeared to be escorting someone to the larger group. The person in question did not appear to be a Sukamon, instead it appeared to be human shaped.

"Jun!" Penguinmon said. He had found her and now was the time to show her what he was made of.

"Hang tight, Jun. I'm coming." Said Penguinmon.

--

Jun shifted uncomfortably in her dress. It was dirty, smelly, and she swore she could have felt something move underneath it, right against her leg. Atop her beret, adorning her head like a tiara or crown, was a tin can. She was utterly disgusted, but the veil covering her face hid it well.

The Sukamon were assembled in two separate aisles. In the middle, at the end, were two Sukamon. One, she figured was the pastor, while the other was the head Sukamon. She was soon escorted right to their side.

"Dearly beloved." The pastor Sukamon began. "We are gathered here today to join this human and the Sukamon tribe as one, but since having the bride kiss all of us would take too much time, our leader will represent us all."

Jun was slightly relieved; at least she would not have to kiss all of them.

"Hyuk, come on pretty, time to kiss up!" The head Sukamon said. The other Sukamon whistled at her.

"Come on sweetheart. Hurry it up so we can get on with the honeymoon!" One Sukamon shouted.

Jun backed away in disgust. She wanted this to end, but now it seemed that the only way to get out of this mess was to pucker up.

"Ice Prism!" Just then, a Sukamon was knocked aside by a flying icicle shard. A blue shape jumped into the aisle.

"Penguinmon!?" Jun shouted in surprise.

Penguinmon looked up and his face lit up. "Jun, I found you!" Penguinmon was about to further announce his joy when an irritable Sukamon lunged at him.

"Look out!" Jun shouted.

Penguinmon waddled out of the way, just barely missing being crushed. The other Sukamon soon followed in suit.

"Eternal Slapping!" Penguinmon slapped at any Sukamon that neared him. Mostly he was dodging, as the Sukamon were numerous.

All the while, this was going on, Jun was watching. She had never seen Penguinmon act this way. Normally he was cowering at her feet whenever an enemy reared its head. Now he seemed almost brave. Penguinmon did not seem to care what kind of digimon he was hitting.

"What am I doing? I shouldn't care what my fists hit." Jun ripped off her dress, throwing it to the ground. With a cry, she rushed toward the Sukamon. One in particular had knocked down Penguinmon. A nerve went off in Jun's head and she decided that Sukamon would be going down first. The Sukamon looked up to see Jun's fist ram itself into his face. The Sukamon tumbled down, a huge red mark where his nose would be if he had one.

"Jun!" Penguinmon exclaimed.

"You look like you could use some help." Jun said with a smirk.

"Jun." Penguinmon said again.

Both digidestined and partner digimon went in separate directions. Penguinmon assaulted his opponents with a barrage of "Eternal Slappings" and "Ice Prisms". Jun had a somewhat easier time since the Sukamon were not willing to harm their beloved bride. With consequence, they were beaten with punches and kicks.

The head Sukamon watched as his comrades were being defeated. If that Penguinmon had not shown up he figured, he and the rest of the Sukamon would have had a bride about now.

"Sukamon "Art of Transformation!" Now!" The head Sukamon yelled.

The other Sukamon stopped what they were doing and hopped toward their leader. As they grew closer to him, they dog pilled the Sukamon.

"What the heck are they doing?" Jun asked.

Penguinmon didn't answer right away. He noticed something about the Sukamon pile.

"Are they melting?" Penguinmon replied with a question of his own.

Jun observed them and noticed that he was right, the Sukamon were melting.

The Sukamon melted into a large yellow blob. The blob began to mold and form shape. Arms, a mouth, and eyes poked out of the disgusting mess, forming into the familiar shape of a Sukamon. Except this was not an ordinary Sukamon, no this was a giant Sukamon!

Jun noticed that its head was adorned with the crown of the head Sukamon. Pulling out her digimon analyzer, she pointed it at the new digimon.

Digimon: KingSukamon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Mutant

Attack: Dingleberry Breath, Fist of the Stinky, Crap Bomb

"Yeowch." Said Jun.

Penguinmon looked up in fear at KingSukamon and KingSukamon looked at Penguinmon.

Penguinmon couldn't let his fear get the best of him. "Jun, your digivice!" Said Penguinmon.

"Don't have to tell me." Jun shot back. A light emerged from the screen of the blue digivice.

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

Saberdramon flapped his wings and puffed out his chest to make him look intimidating.

"Black Saber!" Saberdramon flapped his fireballs toward KingSukamon. The flames burned against KingSukamon's skin, blackening it. The wounds soon regained their yellow color.

"This is what you get for ruining our wedding." Said KingSukamon.

KingSukamon hopped forward a bit and then inhaled deeply. "Dingleberry Breath!" A transparent brownish orange cloud of stench exhaled from KingSukamon's mouth. Saberdramon had barely any time to fly upwards and avoid it. His eyes grew wide as he was engulfed. The stench cloud soon dissipated.

"So…smelly." Saberdramon said, dazed.

"Hey, pay attention!" Jun called.

Saberdramon snapped to attention and immediately flew upward as KingSukamon charged. He missed Saberdramon and instead crashed into a hut.

"That's more like it!" Jun shouted in encouragement.

Sabredramon smiled mentally. He was impressing Jun. That is all he wanted. He knew he had to continue impressing her and he knew how.

"Mach Shadow!" The shadow image of Saberdramon flew and surrounded KingSukamon. The mutant digimon tried to fend off the replication but nothing seemed to work.

Bearing the pain, KingSukamon leapt up with a grunt. He went rather high for a digimon of his size. He went so high that Saberdramon had to crane his neck upwards to see him.

"Crap Bomb!" Gravity finally caught up with KingSukamon. The giant descended but as he was right on top of Saberdramon. The avian digimon went with him.

"Saberdramon!" Jun shouted as KingSukamon brought Saberdramon down with a crash. KingSukamon hopped off, revealing a weakened Saberdramon. However, KingSukamon was not finished. He grabbed Saberdramon by the neck with one hand and then grasped his head with the other.

"Fist of the Stinky" A thick mist erupted from KingSukamon's hand, blowing over Saberdramon's head. Letting go, Saberdramon collapsed. Hopping back, KingSukamon basked in his victory for the moment. After his brief moment of self-grandeur was finished, he decided to finish up with a little deletion.

"Don't you touch him!" Jun shouted. Jun appeared in front of Saberdramon, her arms outstretched in protection.

"Our pretty!" Said KingSukamon along with the various Sukamon that composed his body. While the digimon stood his ground, Jun attended to her digimon.

"You alright?" Jun asked.

Saberdramon opened one eye. "Jun." He said.

"Glad to see you're still alive, now come on, get up." Jun urged.

Saberdramon tried but he could not find the strength. "Sorry Jun, I can't. Guess I let you down." Saberdramon again tried to move and again he received the same results. "I'm sorry for being such a wimpy coward. I really tried."

Jun gasped slightly in surprise. "Coward? You're far from it. What you did took guts." Jun began. "I'll admit that sometimes you're a wimp. But, there are times when you aren't and I think today you really showed that."

"You're my partner, I had to do it." Saberdramon replied. "I didn't want to let anything bad happen to you. Not very good at that either. Ow." Saberdramon cried as Jun punched him.

"Don't wimp out on me!" Jun ordered. "You can fight, I believe in you!"

Saberdramon felt a brief urge and slowly he began to rise, but again he quickly collapsed. Jun noticed that Saberdramon's body began to ripple slightly.

"Hyuk, you shouldn't put too much effort into moving. My smelly attacks made your body weak. Oh well, guess I won't have to delete you, hyuk." KingSukamon gloated.

Jun glared angrily at KingSukamon and turned back to Saberdramon. "I'm sorry I let you down again." Said Saberdramon, as his body rippled. If any more strain was put on it, he would surely delete. For the first time, Jun felt sadness towards her digimon's condition.

"Come on, you have to get up, you can't die on me." Jun urged. A tear fell from Saberdramon's face.

"I was glad to be your digimon, no matter what you said to me." Said Saberdramon. Then he closed his eyes and didn't open them. His body rippled further.

Jun didn't want to believe this was happening. "I don't want you to die. I need you!" Jun suddenly said.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. If one who knew Jun could be witnessing it, they would not believe it. A tear fell from Jun's face.

A bright light erupted from Jun's digivice. A green light and behind it displayed on the screen was a symbol of a teardrop, the symbol of Sincerity. Feeling his energy renewed, Saberdramon's body stopped rippling and he rose.

"**Saberdramon super evolve! Parrotmon!**" Saberdramon cried out with a squawk.

Jun shielded her eyes, as the light shone brightly, but put them aside when it vanished. Opening her eyes, they grew wide in awe.

In Saberdramon's place stood a digimon which greatly resembled a giant parrot. His former black feathers that burned with flames, now lacked the flames and were a shade of green. A pair of large yellow wings flapped behind him with green feathers. Another difference was that the digimon had arms with the wings positioned on his back, a yellow stripe running down between them. Upon its face were two wavy red stripes with two feathery tufts of the same color upon his head. Oddly enough, the upper beak was incased in metal with a similar covering near the digimon's belly. The last pieces of metal were two metal rings hanging around his arms. The legs however lacked metal and instead, brown leather was wrapped around his taloned feet.

"Is this me?" The digimon asked, looking himself over.

Jun smiled as she held up the analyzer.

Digimon: Parrotmon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Giant Bird

Attacks: Mjolnir Thunder, Sonic Destroyer

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Jun exclaimed. She was happy that she had an Ultimate level digimon now, but mainly she was just glad he was alive.

Parrotmon couldn't believe it. He had never felt so strong. It was almost like he was feeling Jun. Jun too could feel her digimon and decided to put that joint feeling to the test.

"Hey Parrotmon, you ready to kick some ass?" She asked, glaring mischievously at the perplexed looking KingSukamon.

Parrotmon felt what Jun was feeling and he too got a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

"Oh yeah." He said, before charging KingSukamon.

The two giants locked hands as they tried to overpower each other. The two of them appeared to be evenly matched.

"You call that strength?" KingSukamon sneered.

"Dingleberry Breath!" KingSukamon breathed the noxious cloud.

Parrotmon shielded himself so as to not breathe it in. "Fist of the Stinky!" KingSukamon furthered his assault by another noxious attack, causing Parrotmon to skid across the ground.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Jun shouted.

"I don't think I can beat him." Parrotmon replied.

Jun clenched her fists and stared determinedly at Parrotmon. "You can do this. You're not alone, I'm fighting with you!"

Parrotmon looked at his partner and again the two could feel their hearts were one.

"You mean that?" Parrotmon asked. Jun merely nodded in reply. Yet again he was renewed.

"Graahh!" Parrotmon looked up to see KingSukamon over him about to strike. The two them locked arms and continued to struggle.

"He's got wings, why doesn't he use them?" Jun thought.

To her surprise, Parrotmon flew up in the air, taking KingSukamon with him. It was almost like he could hear her thoughts.

"Man, this guy is heavy." Parrotmon groaned.

"Hey, let me go! What are you doing?" KingSukamon demanded.

Since he asked, Parrotmon dropped him. KingSukamon yelled as he plummeted down. Looking down, Parrotmon prepped himself.

"Sonic Destroyer!" Parrotmon descended at a high speed. He was so fast the he struck KingSukamon causing him to fall even faster. A loud crash signified their arrival. In a blink, Parrotmon quickly turned, a loud explosion followed as he did.

"Oh, aching head." KingSukamon groaned. His eyes looked around until they focused on Jun.

"Don't worry sweetness, he'll be smashed soon, then the honeymoon can begin, hyuk."

Jun felt her anger rise. Parrotmon felt it as well. Digging deep into his emotions, blue electricity began to charge up between the two feathery tufts on his head. Jun concentrated all of her hatred and disgust toward KingSukamon and Parrotmon continued to charge it up converting it into energy. Soon the anger reached its peak.

"Mjolnir Thunder!" A large blast of electricity fired from the feathers. It struck KingSukamon. Electricity crackled all over his body, shocking him. A loud explosion finished it and the next thing anyone knew, it was raining Sukamon. They scattered in every direction. The debris of the village was littered with smoking, unconscious bodies. Parrotmon's body began to glow and shrink. Jun ran to her digimon, her analyzer in hand. She had an idea of what was happening.

In Parrotmon's place stood a small, round digimon. Orange fur covered it except for its face. A large horn protruded from its head.

Digimon: Tsunomon

Level: In-Training

Attribute: Data

Type: Lesser Digimon

Attack: Bubble Blow

"So, you devolved huh?" Jun said, putting her digimon analyzer away.

Tsunomon looked up at her. He cringed as he noticed Jun's expression.

"What are you so nervous about? You ran out of energy, that's all." Said Jun.

Tsunomon was surprised. "You're not mad?" He asked.

"Nah, it was bound to happen." Jun dismissed his question.

"I thought you would be upset that I wasn't Parrotmon anymore." Said Tsunomon.

Jun smiled and gave a small laugh. "I'll admit it was pretty cool having a giant bird that can shoot electricity. But I'm good with you as you are. Heh, you could probably poke someone with that horn, so that counts as cool." Said Jun.

Tsunomon looked up at her and his eyes were beginning to brim with tears of happiness.

"Hey, don't get mushy on me. We need to leave before these guys wake up." Said Jun.

She turned to leave, only stopping to turn back to Tsunomon. "You coming? I'm not carrying you." Jun called.

"Coming!" Said Tsunomon, He hopped after her, not wanting to be left behind. As they neared one of the village exits, Jun noticed in the far corner was the head Sukamon. His crown was now broken in half, just barely hanging off his head. He looked up, his arm outstretched towards Jun.

"My pretty!" He said, followed by a loud "oof!" as Jun kicked him in the face.

"Creep." Jun muttered before walking off.

Tsunomon looked at the injured Sukamon before joining his partner. Cringing slightly at the brunt of anger the Sukamon received.

"_Jun will be Jun._" Tsunomon thought……and he wouldn't have it any other way.

To be continued…

In case you are wondering, yes this chapter was meant to be disgusting. Also pretty much all of KingSukamon's attacks were made up by me. I got the idea for the Sukamon kingdom from the "Digimon World" game well except the Sukamon loving on Jun part.


	25. Chapter 25

At the far corner of the island, was a place of metal and machinery. Unlike the rest of the island, robot digimon inhabited this realm. Different from the organic mon's, yet they had emotions just as they. Here they worked and lived, but they mainly worked. Even though they were not drones, some form of automated routine had been programmed into their digital circuitry.

Then the fog rolled in surrounding the island and everything changed.

"Soon" a voice said deep within the city. "Soon the foolish weak organics will know the might of the machines."

--

"Come on Sho-chan. I'm beating you!" Shaomon shouted happily. The small puppy digimon ran happily across the land. Sho jogged behind her, trying to keep up.

"Where exactly are we racing to?" Sho called back.

"Nowhere! Just running for fun!" Shaomon said, disappearing into the distance.

Sho continued his jogging, hoping to catch up with his digimon. Ever since she had devolved, she had become a bundle of life. Before she acted like a puppy even in her Champion and Ultimate forms. Now she was an energetic puppy.

He had run a considerable distance, small but considerable. Shaomon was nowhere to be seen. Sho wondered where his digimon could have gone.

Again, he was going to run when he heard a sound. Sho looked around to find the source of the sound. His eyes fell upon a large rock. Listening closely, Sho could make out the sound. It sounded like suppressed giggles. A smile formed on his face as he crept up behind the rock.

"Well there you are." Said Sho.

Behind the rock, front paws over her muzzle, trying her best to hold in her giggles was Shaomon.

Hearing the one voice she loved, she dropped her paws and faced her partner. Shaomon immediately leapt onto Sho's chest knocking him down. Even as a rookie, she still had a great deal of strength when it came to glomping Sho.

"You found me!" Shaomon yipped joyfully. The canine trotted up to Sho's face and licked it continuously.

"Come on, knock it off!" Sho shouted, laughing.

Shaomon hopped off her partner, letting him get up. Sho looked down to find Shaomon rubbing up against his leg.

"Oh Sho-Chan, playing with you is so fun. I could do it all day." Shaomon sighed dreamily. A familiar growl interrupted her.

"Actually, I'll have to eat. I'm hungry." Said Shaomon.

Sho chuckled. "We should keep moving if you want food."

Shaomon's smile widened and they continued to walk. Quickly it became another game of chase with Shaomon leading. That was how it had been ever since that dark portal led them out of Persiamon's château. Mt. Miharashi was a mere dot in the distance when they first escaped and now it was gone. Gears no longer dotted the landscape, but the telephone poles were all just the same. Only now, they were pinpointed like trees.

"Sho-chan, look!" Shaomon shouted.

Since they had started out, they made out something in the distance. As they walked, it grew close until Sho could make out what it was. Large gray towers or rather buildings it appeared. A large metal wall surrounded it.

"I think we may have found some civilization." Said Sho.

"Yippee! That means food." Shaomon happily ran around in circles then she darted forward.

"Come on, slow poke!" Shaomon called back.

Sho shook his head and followed his digimon. Nothing worried Sho at this moment in time. Gone was Sho the worrywart. In his place was Sho the optimist. Hanging around Kazuya must have rubbed off on him. He was happy and he felt that nothing could ruin the moment.

--

Far from Sho and Shaomon another pair was on a similar journey. Jun and Tsunomon had left the Sukamon kingdom and they could not be happier. Save for the odor that still lingered on their bodies.

"Ick! I could sure use a shower." Jun said, sniffing herself. Holding her nose up in disgust, she wondered if bathing would cleanse her.

Tsunomon hopped by his partner's side. He kept a few feet of a distance due to the smell of course.

"It's not that bad, Jun." Tsunomon said, trying to cheer Jun up.

Jun looked down at Tsunomon with a raised eyebrow. "Then come closer." She muttered.

Tsunomon hesitantly hopped closer, yet he could not hide his displeasure.

"Yeah, that's just what I thought." Said Jun.

Ahead, the two of them could see their destination. They knew not what it was, but they concluded going there would be their goal. Their goal was a series of large metal towers with a gate surrounding them.

"We better hurry up. Don't want it to get dark." Said Jun, quickening her pace.

Tsunomon stepped up his hopping, staying close to Jun and trying to mind the odor that continued to linger.

"Um Jun, where exactly are we going?" Tsunomon asked.

Jun shrugged. "Beats me. Just feel like we have to go there."

A driving urge told the girl to go there. She was not sure what it was, yet she obeyed it. Frankly, it was starting to creep her out.

"This digidestined crap better be worth it or someone's going to get it." Jun said, clenching her fist.

Tsunomon could feel his partner's feelings. Even though he was no longer Parrotmon, some sort of empathy remained. He too felt the call. It scared him. Then again, almost everything scared him. Jun needed him and no mater what feelings or reservations he felt, he would stick by her.

--

Sakura looked around with a squeamish look on her face. Her current situation was not very favorable.

"Kazuya, why are we in a sewer again?" She asked.

Leaving Toy Town, Monsaemon had spoken of a sewer lien that connected to a city of some sort. Kazuya's course of action was for everyone to follow it.

"Because, I figure this way we won't be attacked in the open." Kazuya replied.

Sakura was not convinced. "What's to say we couldn't be attacked here?" She asked.

"Uh." Kazuya began rubbing the back of his head. "Okay, I just wanted to explore a sewer, happy now?" Said Kazuya.

Sakura groaned lightly. "That's not very leader-like. Going someplace just because you want to."

"Oh come to think of it, we need to broaden our horizons, see new sights that sort of thing." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon popped up from beside him. "Yeah we're on an adventure and traveling is what we do." Kazuya and Gazimon looked at each other with affirmative nods. The Rookie digimon had recovered from his bellyache. Kazuya had to talk him out of eating more candy, much to Gazimon's displeasure. Apparently, Gazimon didn't care if he received pain in his pursuit of pleasure.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sakura sighed. She still did not think that was a reasonable response, but she did not want to argue.

"I suppose we should keep moving." A voice to Sakura's side said, followed by a yawn. Fairydramon had awoken from her sugar down, but the grogginess had not abdicated her body.

"That's the last time I have any sort of sugar." Said Fairydramon.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. You were actually kind of cute when you were that hyper." Gazimon said, coyly.

Fairydramon crossed her arms with a snort and a huff. "No, I've made my mind up." Was Fairydramon's response.

"You say that now, but I know you're going to have more." Said Gazimon with a smug look.

"Never! Even if they were rather tasty and delectable. Melting in my mouth with sugary goodness." Fairydramon said, licking her lips. A bit of droll dripped down splattering on the ground.

Fairydramon noticed this and quickly wiped her mouth. Gazimon snickered as she did. Fairydramon growled in his general direction making him quickly silence. Sakura stood between the two, afraid her digimon might start something.

"Let's keep moving, shall we?" Sakura suggested.

Kazuya smiled. "That's the spirit." Said Kazuya.

The goggle-headed boy lead the way eager for some new challenges. He felt positive about today. That was how much of an optimist he was.

--

Sho and Shaomon had been walking for quite some time now. How long they did not know. Shaomon didn't care, so long as she was with her Sho-Chan, than she was happy. The set of gray-towered buildings were now closer. Sho's assumptions were correct; it had to be a city of sorts.

"Hopefully we'll find someone." Said Sho.

From where they were standing it was a clear shot so onward they went. Shortly, they arrived at the city gates. There was no doorway, just a large opening. It was almost inviting.

"Guess we should go in." Said Sho. Since it was open they might as well.

"I'll stand in front of you in case something happens." Said Shaomon wagging her little tail.

Sho smiled slightly. "You don't have to." He said.

Her eyes focused intensely on him. The black orbs narrowed, her eyelids drooping downwards.

"But I want to." Shaomon began walking slowly towards Sho. Her muzzle formed into a small smile.

Sho backed away, starting to feel a bit embarrassed. Yet he couldn't help but find this whole display cute.

"Protecting you is everything that matters." Said Shaomon. "Kay?" Shaomon dropped the flirtatious act and went back to her original happy manner.

Sho nodded slowly and followed his digimon inside. Still, his face was flushed red. "At least she's not a stalker." Said Sho.

Little did either of them know, was that they were not the first pair to enter the city.

--

Tall, metal and gray, that's what Jun first said when she entered the town, or city rather. Jun wasn't sure whether to call it either but that was not really important. The whole place looked like something out of a science fiction movie. The buildings were large, some with pointed spires, while others resembled skyscrapers. Dark alleyways formed perfect splits in the sides of the construction.

All of this would be rather impressive but one thing was missing and Tsunomon was the first to point it out.

"No one is here." Said Tsunomon.

Jun looked around. "Deserted maybe?" She hypothesized.

"Maybe. But it's kind of lonely and scary." Tsunomon noted with a shiver.

Jun agreed. Without any sign of life this place appeared more like a giant metal tomb. Her fingers traced against the screen of her digivice, unclipping it from her pants. She wanted to try something. Perhaps to take away the sense of isolation she and her digimon were feeling.

A push of a button followed by some beeps began. The screen displayed an image of their surroundings as black outlines. The only other color displayed was an orange dot that was moving closer. Jun smiled, knowing who it was.

"This is going to be fun." Said Jun.

Tsunomon looked up nervously, noticing his partner's mischievous expression.

"Jun?" He asked.

Looking down at her partner, the smile never left her face. "Come on Tsunomon." Jun directed him towards an alleyway.

Jun and Tsunomon ducked into one of the many alleyways located in the city, keeping close to the opening, but far enough away to remain hidden.

--

Sho and Shaomon glanced around at their surroundings. Shaomon was particularly surprised.

"Wow! Everything is so big." She exclaimed, mouth agape.

Agreeing with his digimon, even Sho opened his mouth wide in awe. The surprises in this world never seemed to cease. When he first arrived, he had envisioned the remainder of the Digital World to be a harsh frontier. Never did he imagine there would be cities such as this.

Buildings flanked them on each side. Alleyways were the only opening. Sho admitted he felt a little nervous. If the previous nervous wreck Sho were here, he would have been certain that something would reach out and grab him. The new confident Sho held no qualms and walked past one. For a moment, nothing happened and the nervousness vanished. Then he felt something on his shoulder.

"AAHH!" Sho yelled, turning back in defense.

Shaomon turned around, growling at whatever had frightened her partner. She was ready to defend him from whatever digimon would dare try to hurt her Sho. Both of them noticed that there was not one but two things in front of them. A small digimon that neither of them recognized and a human that they knew all too well.

"Jun?" Both Sho and Shaomon said in unison.

Jun snickered loudly. "Oh man, the looks on your faces. "You were like, "Aghh!" Man that was nice." Said Jun.

Sho breathed a sigh both relieved and afraid at the same time. Shaomon continued to growl. Jun was not her favorite person.

"Jun, w-what are y-you doing here?" Sho stammered.

Jun snickered again only a little bit. Striding over to Sho, she put her hand on his shoulder, hard.

"Relax Sanbara, you look tense." Said Jun.

Sho tried to relax but it was rather hard when his long time tormentor was standing in front of him.

"You know you really should check these things more often. I could see you coming." Jun said, pointing to her digivice.

Sho looked at his digivice. If only he had checked it earlier than he could have avoided this place.

"Hey, you almost scared Sho-chan half to death." Shaomon scolded.

Jun looked down at Shaomon. The small digimon continued to growl at the girl.

"Still a mutt I see." Jun said, inciting another growl from Shaomon. "Let me guess, reached Ultimate level?" Jun asked.

Sho nodded his head.

"Same here." Jun said, pointing down to Tsunomon.

Sho was surprised at how friendly Jun was acting. Maybe it was a trick? He thought. Sho felt suspicious but he decided to be friendly in return.

"Apparently we each had our own adventure." Said Sho. "You want to talk about it."

Jun held up her hand. "To make a long story short I was nearly married to a bunch of living piles of poop." Said Jun.

"Oh." Sho responded. "_That would explain the smell_" He thought to himself.

While the two humans conversed, Tsunomon hopped up to Shaomon. "Glad to see you again." Tsunomon greeted to his fellow digimon.

Shaomon ignored him. All of her attention focused on Jun. Her black eyes narrowed and her body turned red with anger. Her growls grew louder behind her clenched grinding teeth. The human she hated the most talking casually with the human she loved. That would make anyone angry.

Tsunomon looked at his friend nervously. "Are you okay?" He asked. Tsunomon backed away in fear as Shaomon turned towards him with her angry look.

"Nevermind." Said Tsunomon, fully backing away.

--

The room was shrouded in darkness. The outlines of various equipment could be seen amidst the shadowy veil. Just then, a light broke through illuminating not so much, but enough. It was a computer screen. Due to the light, various screens of the outside could be seen. It flashed by various pictures of the metal realm before stopping on a certain group.

"Organic filth! Here?" A voice processed through the computer. A mechanized growl accompanied the voice followed by a chuckle.

"I guess its time for a little cleansing." The voice said. "Attention all Guardromon units! We have intruders, organic ones. The time to show our superiority is now!"

Throughout Factorial Town, sentinels of metal were moving. Their orders were given and they would execute them. The computer processed these orders making sure every purely mechanical digimon would obey.

"Now they will know their place." It spoke again. The screen went dark. Its orders were given and for now it would wait.

--

Sakura's reservations about the sewer were all too justified. It seems the more they explored, the smellier it became. A river of sewage divided the two paths. One of them being the path the humans and their digimon were walking on.

"Okay, don't say anything, I get it." Said Kazuya, wrinkling his nose.

The goggle headed leader was starting to share his best friend's dislike for this place. Now he was regretting broadening his horizons. However, he decided that they had gone too far to turn back. Might as well bear it Kazuya decided.

"I don't mind this place, kind of braces ya." Gazimon said, breathing in. Gazimon did his very best to seem "manly" yet he too found this place rather unpleasurable.

Fairydramon gave a sound of disgust. "Of course you would like it here. You are filthy enough as it is."

Gazimon sniffed himself, but then realized what Fairydramon meant. Instead of being offended, Gazimon laughed.

"Not only beautiful, but funny." Gazimon complemented. "I'm not dirty though, I'm just a romantic." He quickly defended himself.

Fairydramon snorted seeing that Gazimon would never admit his perverted woman chasing habits.

They moved deeper into the sewers. The smell grew ever more horrible.

"Ugh! This place is disgusting." Sakura expressed, holding her nose.

She looked down towards the water. Although it was slightly green, Sakura could not believe that the smell was made from the water itself. Deep beneath the water, she thought she saw something move. As quickly as she saw it, it soon disappeared.

"Sakura, is something wrong?" Kazuya asked.

Sakura looked at the water for a bit before turning to Kazuya. "No, it's nothing." She replied.

They continued to walk, doing their best to bear the smell. Submerged under the flowing sewage, something kept a close eye on the small quartet.

--

Jun could not hold in her laughter. The story Sho told her was just too funny. Sho stood there flushing in embarrassment.

"Sanbara I have got to hand it to you, you really have a way with the ladies." Jun laughed.

Sho's face turned an even brighter shade of red. "It wasn't my fault she hypnotized me. I could barely tell what was going on." Sho replied in his defense.

The teenage girl's laughter subsided into a fit of giggles. "Sorry, it's just the only girls interested in you so far are not even human."

Sho looked down at the ground, feeling even more embarrassed and a tad bit depressed. To him there must have been some sort of irony to his romance track.

"Hey, leave Sho-chan alone, you big poopy head!" Shaomon demanded.

Jun looked down at the miniature digimon at Sho's feet. Shaomon had heard enough of Jun's ridicule of her partner.

"Sho-chan is the most handsome boy in the entire world…no, in both worlds. Any girl would be lucky to fall in love with him." Shaomon directed that last comment towards Sho, batting her eyes playfully at him.

Another fit of laughter this time even louder came from Jun. Sho hung his head down even more. Shaomon growled loudly. Yet that did not stop Jun from finding any humor.

"Shut up, you stupid smelly mean hussy!" Shaomon yelled at the top of her voice.

Jun's laughter stopped and now she looked serious. "What did you say?" Jun asked. Her voice was tight and the muscles tightened in her neck.

Shaomon turned her nose up, closing her eyes. "You heard me. You are mean for picking on my Sho-chan. You are a hussy who needs to be quiet. And you are stiiiiiiinky!" Shaomon put a paw on her nose.

Jun was officially ticked off. "Hey, you try waking up in a dump and not smelling like crap!" Shouted Jun.

A sly look of pleasure crossed Shaomon's furry puppy face. "I guess that's where you belong."

The two girls continued to argue. One insult delivered to each other back and forth. Tsunomon felt uncomfortable being between the entire display. He wanted to find a way to resolve this, but at the same time he didn't want to get in the middle of anything. While the others were engrossed in their own business or conditions, Tsunomon heard a small thumping in the distance.

"Everyone listen!" Tsunomon called loudly enough to get everyone's attention.

The laughter, shouting and embarrassment disappeared as all eyes and ears focused on the noise.

Loud thumping sounded out ahead of them. Initially it was small but soon it grew louder and louder. The louder it became the more audible and clearer it became. The thumping now sounded like the banging of metal.

Curious, everyone walked (or hopped in some cases) to see what was making the banging.

"What are those things?" Sho said, coming to a stop.

Something was now taking shape. The closer the group moved, the more they could see what was approaching. Bulky brown creatures marched forward, eyes focused ahead. A sextet of metal men is what they were. Their arms swayed forward and behind with each motion. To the humans they were clearly robots. Odd-looking ones at that. They lacked the traditional look that robots had in those low budget science fiction flicks. Round instead of box shaped, clear eyes sitting within a dark space of the head. In the center was a valve shut tightly. Copper colored pipes extruded form their side connecting to their backs.

Digimon: Guardromon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Machine

Attacks: Guardian Barrage, Warning Laser, Red Alert

"They look friendly." Said Sho.

The Guardromon came to a stop near them. Shaomon and Tsunomon readied themselves to protect their partners if something went wrong.

A Guardromon stepped out of the perfectly aligned row. "First request. State business." The Guardromon said in a monotonous mechanical voice.

Sho and Jun looked at each other. The Guardromon stood there like a statue. Shrugging they answered.

"Actually we were just passing through." Said Jun.

"Yeah, we are trying to find some friends of ours and we were wondering if there were any other humans and non robot digimon around?" Sho asked.

The Guardromon came to attention processing the response it was given. "Second request. State business." The Guardromon said.

Sho and Jun were confused, looking at each other with faces matching their emotion.

"We just told you that." Said Sho.

The sound of a mechanical shift prevented any more words from being spoken from the humans. Every Guardromon held out their arms.

"Security breach, security breach." One then all the Guardromon said in unity.

Only a single word would be spoken that would correctly surmise the situation.

"Run." Said Jun.

The group broke off into a full sprint toward the town exit. A loud whistle alerted them. Curiosity getting the best of him, Sho looked behind. Panels opened up on the Guardromon's arms. Several latterly whistling missiles rocketed toward the hapless kids. Whistles were actually crafted onto them. Strangely enough, the missiles even had eyes!

Sho knew more weirdness would be associated with this world. He didn't have time to wonder as he was currently running for his life.

The barrage of seemingly living projectiles continued on their path. Closer, they grew intent on blowing up their targets. Shaomon and Tsunomon drew close on their partner's heels.

"They're getting closer!" Tsunomon cried.

Shaomon was not going to let her partner be blown to smithereens. A risky thought popped in her head, but she knew she had to take it.

"Tsunomon on my mark, attack those things." Said Shaomon.

"What!?" Tsunomon cried in surprise.

He didn't have time to protest since Shaomon was already counting.

"One." Tsunomon's eyes darted back and forth. Surely, his fellow digimon would not be crazy enough to try this.

"Two." Shaomon was crazy to try this. Tsunomon felt very uncomfortable. Then again, Jun's safety came first. He gulped preparing himself to potentially kill himself.

"Three!" Both digimon turned around. The "Guardian Barrages" were nearly on them.

"Tsuumo!" Shaomon yipped out a small frequency of sound. It was similer to her "Retrieve Bark" attack as Labramon.

"Bubble Blow!" Tsunomon belched out a stream of bubbles, the common attack of many In-Training digimon.

Both attacks hit the missiles. A disruption apparently had been caused. The missiles spiraled out of control and careened right in front of the two digimon.

A loud explosion boomed throughout the area. The human and digimon group flew backwards with bits of the newly formed medium sized crater that the "Guardian Barrages" had left.

"Are you two crazy!?" Jun shouted angrily.

Shaomon looked very insulted. "You should thank us. We saved you. Then again, thanking someone isn't really you." Shaomon said snottily.

"Less talking, more running!" Both Sho and Tsunomon said in unison.

Jun turned towards the both of them. "Why I'm pretty sure we can outrun those tin cans."

Sho pointed in the direction of the Guardromon. The mechanized digimon were quick to continue their pursuit. Only instead of marching, they were flying! A pair of jets attached to their backs propelled them forward. Jun did not have to say anything. She and the others were quick to rise to their feet and run.

Adrenaline pumped through their bodies, quickening their pace. The exit was close, they could tell, yet their hope swiftly was crushed. The open field did not greet them and instead a large gate of metal did. Jun and Sho ran up to it, trying everything they could to get it open. Alas, it was to no avail.

"Damn it! We are so screwed!" Jun exclaimed angrily.

Sho began to breathe heavily. Panic returned to his thoughts and feelings. Shaomon and Tsunomon were equally dismayed. They were In-Training while the Guardromon were Champions. Under-leveled and underpowered, they may have been, but they would defend their humans until their dying breaths. They just wished they could actually put up a fight.

The Guardromon drew in fast and descended a couple of meters away. As their targets were of little distance from themselves, they calculated that flying would be an irrelevant option at this point.

Everyone watched as the Guardromon marched forward. The situation looked grim. They would have to think fast to get out of this predicament.

"We have to make a run for it." Jun spoke suddenly.

"What?" Everyone asked.

"Look, these guys are big, so they're probably clunky. We could outrun them." Jun reasoned.

Jun motioned her eyes towards two alleyway openings on opposite sides of the Guardromon.

Sho considered that for a moment. It sounded crazy, yet what other choices did they have? It was either stay here and be killed or attempt to escape with a fifty-fifty chance of being killed. Sho looked Shaomon in the eyes and Jun looked into Tsunomon's.

The Guardromon raised their arms. Panels on the arms opened up. A loud whistling signaled the start of an attack.

Choices had to be made and one was chosen. Everyone ran, heading straight towards the missiles. The Guardromon stood by. Their mission would soon be complete.

"Duck!" Jun commanded.

All four of them dove. The humans crawled on their hands and knees and the digimon stepped up their pace. The missiles whistled forward, colliding with the metal door, leaving a large hole in the middle.

The plan had apparently worked, almost worked. Shaomon and Tsunomon knew what their partners wanted them to do but they didn't know which alley to take. Both sides stood on different sides of each other. The Guardromon were quick to act and turned. Three to the humans and three to the digimon.

"Shaomon, Tsunomon!" Sho and Jun called at once.

"Sho-chan, Jun!" Shaomon and Tsunomon called back.

A wall of living circuitry and metal prevented both sides from being with each other. Nothing could be done except escape. Reluctantly, they parted.

"Priority, prevent escape." One Guardromon said.

Another Guardromon looked at the alleyways. "Current location is unacceptable for pursuit." It said.

Rocketing away with their jets, the Guardromon would find another path to cut off the group. They relayed their plans to the other Guardromon on patrol. This was a search and destroy mission and they would complete it.

--

The sewer system stretched further on. The foursome guessed they had been walking for ten, maybe twenty minutes. However, that was simply an exaggerated estimate because of the blandness of their location. Everything looked the same. The same stone walls and the same river of sewage in the middle.

Occasionally the smell grew worse, but only for brief intervals. No one questioned it yet Sakura found it rather strange. Kazuya on the other hand simply chalked it up to being the smell of some possibly passing muck in the water. It was the only guess they had at the moment.

"This place goes on and on." Gazimon moaned. Initially the scruffy rabbit was excited about the prospect of a new adventure. As time went on he quickly grew bored.

"You said it." Said Kazuya. Even Kazuya was growing weary.

Fairydramon kept her thoughts to herself. The only way to know how she felt was to read her thoughts. Sakura had her mind on other things. She couldn't help but feel like they were being followed. The disgusting smell that appeared every so often truly made it unbearable. Sakura and everyone else were grateful that it was brief. It made her suspicious. It could not just be passing refuse, could it?

Ahead, something different abolished the normality of the sewer line. A cut or turn in the path added a new scenery. Needless to say, everyone was happy for a change of pace. Continuing to walk, they found their hopes and suspicions were correct. The path in front of them turned to the left and instead of finding the original stone walkway, they found a bridge. The right side of the sewer turned as well and it too had a bridge in place. A third bridge connected the two paths together in the upper portion. The water formed an intersection, flowing in all four directions.

"At least it's different." Said Gazimon.

Kazuya looked at the bridges. "I guess we cross here." Said Kazuya.

Everyone followed the goggle boy and the rabbit over the stone bridge. Perhaps now they could find a way out of here. The bridges were proof enough that this area was used as a traverse.

Sakura suddenly held her fingers to her nose, pinching it. "There's that smell again." She said in disgust.

"Man, this place must have a lot of junk or something." Said Kazuya.

Sakura was not convinced. "I don't think so. The same smell keeps showing up." She said. "It can't be a coincidence."

Gazimon and Fairydramon felt something that only their digimon senses could.

"There's something in the water!" Fairydramon shouted, pointing a clawed finger.

In the center of the intersection, a dark shape was starting to form. It was small at first, but soon grew larger and larger.

A loud splash of water made a few droplets splash on everyone present. Sakura had been right about the smell. Now they were meeting the source. A large gray blobby digimon wadded in the water. Bits of junk sank in its skin, as it rose with each breath the digimon took. Despite the non solidity of the creature, a set of claws stuck in its "arms". A set of misshapen teeth sat in an open mouth. Red pupils peeked out under metal plates.

Digimon: Raremon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Ghost

Attacks: Acid Sludge, Breath of Decay

Raremon looked over the human and digimon duos. A raspy growl echoed out from its throat.

--

Jun and Sho sprinted through the alleyway. Sirens sounded out in a cacophonous symphony.

"I think things are about to get a little hectic." Said Jun.

Sho knew she was right. After that little run in with the Guardromon, more were bound to come after them. He was more worried about the digimon than his own life, particularly Shaomon. Sho stopped for a moment. Jun suddenly only heard her own feet running and stopped as well.

"Why are you doing?" She asked.

"I can't leave Shaomon behind." Sho replied.

Jun looked Sho right in the eyes. A serious reflection shone in her irises. "Right now we have to worry about ourselves." Said Jun.

Sho was taken aback. His original opinion of Jun began to return. "I can't believe you!" Sho exclaimed. "Tsunomon's your partner! How can you leave him behind like that!?"

Jun maintained her serious composure. "Look, those two are capable of taking care of themselves. Right now, we have to keep ourselves alive." Said Jun.

"But Shaomon…she's not strong enough to fight those guys. I'm worried about her." Sho argued.

Jun sighed in exasperation, but then she almost looked sympathetic. "I understand how you feel, but getting yourself killed won't help the mutt."

He was listening, but Sho could not even consider leaving his digimon behind. Shaomon had done so much for him. Still, had he not entirely forgiven himself for that incident with Persiamon. Brashness had not overcome his rationality. Retrieving Shaomon would unfortunately be put on hold.

"Fine." Sho said, regret evidently in his voice.

Jun could tell and thought she could help in the least. "Hey, if you could rely on me to kick your butt everyday, then you can rely on me to get us out of here."

"Gee thanks for cheering me up." Sho said unenthusiastically.

A stream of jet engines alerted them to the sky above them. A Guardromon was flying above them. The way its eyes were focused gave reason for the two to run. Nearing the end of the alley, they kept going. One wrong move could be their last.

"Targets acquired!" A Guardromon stood at the side of the alleyway. It raised its arms, preparing to attack. Sho and Jun dashed out of its way expecting a large explosion. Instead of the whistling death, a sound that resembled "_BLIP!_" rang out instead.

A red laser beam licked at their heels. Sho jumped a few feet with a yelp.

"Shit, they have lasers?!" Jun said, shocked.

More red beams of death blasted causing both teens to almost dance. Luckily, they managed to dodge every beam that was shot. It would not be much of a hero's journey if the digidestined were fried.

This waltz of imminent death continued until another Guardromon entered their path. Sho and Jun immediately ran in the opposite direction, but stopped when they saw and remembered why they were running in the first place.

The two Guardromon stood ready to eliminate their targets. Their arms raised and the whistling of their "Guardian Barrages" sounded out.

Sho and Jun quickly dropped, as the missiles sailed past them. They could only lay there as an explosion sent a few flying pieces of metal zooming past. A large hole lay where the closed entrance once was.

"If there is a kami-sama, he must love us." Said Sho.

Jun said nothing and merely grabbed Sho, taking him into the open building.

Inside was a factory of sorts. Dimly lit and a thin curtain of dust covered conveyor belts and control panels. Sho and Jun did not have time to look around, they had to run and fast. Clouds of dust and dust bunnies kicked up with each step they took. The stomping of the Guardromon could be heard behind them.

They ran deeper into the factory, not caring where they were going. Whatever door they came across, they opened. Time went on and their arms started to grow tired from forcing the metal constructs open.

"I can't go anymore." Sho said, breathing heavily.

"Don't wimp out, think of this as a workout." Said Jun.

Sho collapsed to his knees. His arm muscles felt tight and hardened. Normally he stayed away from exercise such as heavy lifting. The only major workout he ever got was running away.

Jun on the other hand seemed to relish this. Her experience obviously consisted of fighting and beating up others, namely him.

"Get up. We've got to keep moving." Jun commanded. She grabbed hold of one of Sho's arms and brought him to his feet. Forcing another door open, they stepped inside. Inside, various pieces of equipment mainly used for construction stood about.

"Sanbara, over here!" Jun said in surprise.

Amidst the tools, there was a set of hooked chains. Encased and wrapped around them was a humanoid figure. Its body was mostly metallic, almost armor. Because it was lying down, they could not get a good in depth look at its armored features. The only part of this creature that wasn't made of metal was its mouth and the pieces of skin naked from underneath the armor.

Hesitantly, Jun took a few steps forward.

"Be careful." Sho cautioned.

Jun looked over the encased being. Its eyes were wide open, but they seemed lifeless. Curious, she pulled out her digimon analyzer.

Digimon: Andromon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Machine

Attacks: Lightning Blade, Gatling Attack

"So this is a digimon and an Ultimate too." Jun said, smiling.

Sho looked back, worried that the Guardromon might be coming. "Okay, it's a digimon, so let's keep going."

"Hold on." Jun said. "If we had this guy on our side, those freaks outside wouldn't stand a chance."

Sho was taken aback. "What are you saying?" He asked.

Looking back at her companion, she smirked. "We're going to wake him up.

--

Shaomon poked her head out from behind the alley wall. Looking around, she quickly ducked, noticing a Guardromon marching past. It soon passed. Shaomon looked again and turned back to Tsunomon.

"Okay, the coast is clear." She said.

The two digimon quickly retreated to another open alleyway. Thankfully, the place was so big that it had many hiding places.

"Can we rest for a moment?" Tsunomon asked, as soon as they reached their current spot.

Sniffing the air, Shaomon nodded, sensing no imminent danger. A short rest was what they needed, but only briefly. Both sighed for the concerns of their partners. If it had been up to them, they would be together.

"My poor Sho-chan. I hope he is alright." Shaomon lamented.

"I know. I'm worried about Jun." Said Tsunomon.

Shaomon gave a small scoff. "With her around, I have to worry about Sho-chan." Shaomon said snottily. "She's probably putting him thorough all kinds of torture."

"I don't think so. She's not that mean." Said Tsunomon.

Shaomon was surprised at what she had just heard. "How can you say that?" Shaomon asked.

Tsunomon fidgeted nervously for a moment at the attention he was receiving. "It's just…well, she's not that kind of person deep down."

"Tsunomon, all she is is a meany, poopy, doodoo head!" Shaomon exclaimed.

Tsunomon took on a serious look. He did not like what was being said about his partner.

"All she has ever done was been mean to the rest of us, and frankly she is probably the worst human to ever have lived!" The puppy grit and ground her teeth in anger again. "Oh, just thinking about her makes me want to-"

"That's enough!" Tsunomon shouted.

Shaomon ceased, surprised by Tsunomon's outburst. She had never seen her friend act this way before. Normally he was so timid. In his eyes, Shaomon could see a spark.

"I know Jun has not been the nicest, but when she helped me evolve our hearts were linked. Right then, I could tell she only acts that way to hide herself." Tsunomon tried his very best to explain.

Tsunomon was having trouble conveying the rest of his feelings. Shaomon could understand where he was coming from. When she first evolved into Cerberusmon, she and Sho seemed to entwine. The feelings experienced at that moment couldn't be put entirely into words. If emotions could be made viable then an understanding could be established. For now, Shaomon would have to trust Tsunomon's words (only a tiny little bit).

"Okay, I'm sorry." Shaomon apologized.

"It's okay." Tsunomon replied.

The In-Training sniffed the air. Her nose wrinkled up, as danger wafted through her nasal passages.

"Rest time is over." She said.

Looking ahead, Shaomon's face turned dead serious. "Hold on, Sho-chan! Your darling digimon is coming to save you!"

She took off, with Tsunomon trailing behind her.

--

Raremon was quick to attack the newcomers. A swipe of his sludge-formed arm demolished the bridge. The humans and the digimon were quick to escape though, which only further increased his wrath. The waste digimon had this urge…no, rather an instinct to attack any that came through his path.

"What's this guy's problem!?" Gazimon yelled.

"If you have noticed none of the wild digimon we meet ever need a reason to attack." Said Fairydramon.

"Good point." Said Gazimon.

Raremon turned towards the group, ready to attack once again. Kazuya held up his digivice, pointing it at Gazimon.

"You ready?" Kazuya asked.

Gazimon nodded in reply. He didn't need to be asked.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**" The light of evolution parted, revealing the Champion underneath.

Fairydramon prepared herself to evolve, yet she felt nothing. Confused, she looked up at Sakura. The white digivice remained in her hand.

"Well?" Fairydramon asked.

Sakura looked down at her scaly partner. "I don't think this place is big enough for Tiamon."

Fairydramon crossed her arms huffily. She despised having to be left out of the fight like some kind of cheerleader.

Genkimon was quick to act as he charged up a "Genki Rush". Raremon heaved back. A thick miasma spewed forth from the sludge creature's mouth enveloping Genkimon. Genkimon held his arms to his face in hopes of shielding himself. His attempts held no success, as he could see his armor start to corrode away. He faltered, as a sudden state of weakness came over him like a bad cold.

With a splash, he fell into the water. When he emerged, he spat out a mouthful of sewer water. Genkimon shook his head in disgust.

"Oh man, my armor's ruined and my fur stinks." Genkimon lamented.

"Don't worry about your looks, watch out!" Kazuya screamed.

Genkimon looked up and yelled as Raremon dove down on him into the murky water.

--

Loud metal pangs rang out in the factory corridors. The source was Jun who was busily kicking the inactive Andromon.

"Jun, stop it!" Sho pleaded.

The girl did not and continued. She had been doing this for a good while. She tried her hands at first, but stopped when she learned that metal plus flesh equals pain. Now she was reduced to merely kicking the immobile statue.

"Why…won't…this….thing…wake….up!?" Jun said in between kicks.

Andromon remained motionless, despite the abuse he was taking. There was not even a dent in his armor.

Far off behind them, Sho could hear the distant yet audible sound of marching metal feet. Sho knew what that meant.

"Okay, we have to get out of here!" Sho said urgently.

Jun was looking for something in the corners of the room. Kneeling down Sho could not see she had picked up something.

"Just one more thing." She said, pulling out a long, sturdy metal pipe.

"Wait you're not going to-" Sho began.

Jun swung the pipe, connecting it to Andromon's head. Andromon toppled over, making a racket. Sho motioned for Jun to be quiet.

"Keep it down! I'm sure they heard us now!" Sho whispered.

A loud hum, like the sound of an engine starting, interrupted Sho's complaints. Andromon's eyes lit up with an electrical crackle. Slowly, he rose to his feet to the shock of Sho and Jun. The features of his body were now fully displayed. The body was diffidently like a full body armor suit. The chest was held together by two panels. Something about the way they looked implied they could open up. His armor around his wrists looked like bulky arm guards with thin needles for fingers. One hand was gloved while the other was full metal.

Andromon looked at the two, slowly turning his head. It was as if he was scanning them. Jun was starting to wonder if waking him up had been a good idea.

"Scanning." Andromon said. A slight mechanical tone was evident in his voice. "Subjects human. One male, one female."

Andromon turned his attention to Sho. "Male…estimated age…fourteen years. Race…one-half Japanese…one-half Egyptian."

Jun turned to Sho looking surprised. "You're half Egyptian?"

"My mother is from Egypt. You bullied me for years and you didn't know that?" Sho asked.

"Hey, I don't get into the personal lives of the people I bully." Replied Jun.

Andromon turned form Sho and switched to Jun. "Female…estimated age…fifteen years. Race…one-half Japanese…one-half British."

Like Jun did before, Sho turned to her with surprise. Jun looked back with equal surprise.

"I never really knew my father." Said Jun.

Behind, the metal clanging was louder then it had ever been. The Guardromon were closing in fast.

"Um, excuse me, but there are some freaks chasing us and we could really use your help." Jun pleaded.

Without a word, Andromon walked past the two and into the hallway. Jun and Sho followed, both out of curiosity and comfort for having a guardian.

The Guardromon noticed their fellow metalman, but nonetheless complied with their orders.

Andromon held his right arm out. With a mechanical whir, the hand morphed into a bladed drill. Electricity flowed and surged through it.

"Lightning Blade!" Andromon swept it forward, realeasing an arc of electricity. It struck the Guardromon before they could even attack. Instead of deleting, they collapsed to the ground lifelessly.

"I short circuited them. It will take a while for their systems to reboot." Said Andromon.

Jun could care less what happened to the Guardromon. She was more concerned with Andromon's strength.

"That was so awesome! Man, I'm glad I woke this guy up."

Andromon retracted his blade and changed his attention to the two kids.

"You awoke me?" Andromon asked.

"Yep." Jun replied.

Andromon felt around his head. He could have sworn he felt a small dent, yet he dismissed it.

"I thank you, but what are humans doing here?" He asked.

"We got separated from our friends a while back and we ended up here with our digimon." Said Sho.

"Digimon?" Andromon asked.

Sho nodded. "Yeah, a Shaomon and a Tsunomon.

Andromon turned his head. His mouth lowered as if he had a grave look.

"If the Guardromon are active they must be searching for any organic digimon." Said Andromon.

Curiosity peaked inside Jun. She was thankful that Andromon had not turned on them, but she wondered. "Hey, how come you're the only one that isn't trying to kill us?" She asked.

The cyborg digimon looked up, recalling his memories. "They were not always like this. Everything changed when the fog surrounded File Island. Communications ceased with the other areas of the Digital World."

Hearing that, Sho remembered something. He almost interrupted, but remembering his manners, he remained silent.

"Soon the computer of this town, GIRO, turned hostile and declared that all organic digimon were the enemy. It reprogrammed and forced every mechanical digimon to evolve. I managed to resist GIRO's desires, yet in the end I was overwhelmed and deactivated." Andromon finished.

"A rouge computer huh? That's very original." Jun added that last part with sarcasm.

Sho silently agreed with her. They know knew who their antagonist was. It was here Sho pondered what Kazuya would do. Things felt a little odd without their leader. Nevertheless, there was one thing they had to do.

"Andromon we're willing to help free this city." Said Sho

"You will?" Andromon asked.

"We will?" Jun asked.

Sho nodded in response. Confidence swelled within him. The mantle of leadership passed on to him, so it seemed. Nothing broke his composure, except for Jun who quickly grabbed him by the collar. She dragged him far away from Andromon.

"Have you lost your mind?" Jun asked.

Sho felt nervous. The only moments when he and Jun were this close, she was pounding him. "No I'm serious. We have to help." He said, regaining that leadership composure.

"Sanbara, I know we have fought alot of evil digimon, but not an entire freaking army run by a deranged computer!" Jun spat.

Looking down, a look of disappointment crossed Sho's face. Straightening his expression, Sho looked up.

"Guess you aren't so reliable after all." Said Sho.

Jun raised a questionable eyebrow. "What?" She asked.

"You said that you would get us out of here and it seems that the only way to get out of here and rescue our digimon is to stop GIRO." Said Sho.

"It's a computer. It controls the entire city." Jun argued.

"Exactly. It probably shut the gates and the only way to open them is to shut down GIRO." Sho pointed out.

Sho wriggled himself out of Jun's grasp and walked back toward Andromon who had remained standing the whole time.

"If you care about your digimon, come with me. Or you can just stay there." Said Sho.

Jun was flabbergasted. She could have sworn Sho had stood up to her. A point came across in his small speech and she did say she would get them out of here.

"Hey, I'm reliable!" Jun said, quickly going to Sho and Andromon's side.

"You are commendable, but as you are, you won't be able to stand a chance against the Guardromon." Noted Andromon. "However, I know something that might help. Follow me."

The two of them followed Andromon, stepping past the still inactive Guardromon. Even though they were being controlled, Sho and Jun could see that Andromon still had a great sense of brotherhood towards his fellow machines.

"Andromon?" Sho asked.

"Yes, uh…" Andromon started but trailed off. "I don't believe I know your names."

A small gasp of surprise escaped him. He had forgotten his manners "Oh, I'm Sho and this is Jun." He introduced.

"Yes, Sho and Jun?" Andromon recited again, this time not trialing off.

"What is this factory for?" Asked Sho.

Andromon processed that question for an interval. "I don't know. This factory and Factorial Town were here as far as my databanks recall."

Sho looked down, expecting a more in-depth answer.

"Oh." He muttered.

--

Kazuya waited for Genkimon to emerge from the depths. Bubbles rose to the water's surface causing his hope to soar. That hope fell like a stone when Raremon emerged from the waters. The liquid sank into its mucky body, making it glisten.

"Wheres Genkimon?" Kazuya asked in dismay and worry.

Raremon turned his attention to the remainder of the group. Another raspy growled coupled with a putrid halitosis blew in their direction.

Fairydramon growled, a small wisp of smoke escaped from her maw. She hated standing around doing nothing. In her heart, she felt a thin line of worry for Genkimon. She had to do something

"Sakura, he needs help!" She said urgently.

Sakura held up her digivice hesitantly. The area surely was too small for Tiamon, but what choice did they have?"

"All right, but please be careful." Said Sakura.

Fairydramon nodded as her body glowed with the light of evolution.

"**Fairydramon evolve!**" She leapt off the pathway, heading straight for the monstrous blob. Raremon opened its mouth preparing another "Breath of Decay".

A cry of "**Tiamon!**" interrupted the attack. The large dragoness slammed into Raremon, creating a large wet splash.

Everyone's assumptions were half-correct. Tiamon was large, in fact her tail was still hanging slightly against the pathway Kazuya and Sakura were standing on. They had to move out of the way in order to not get swept off. The draconic Champion did not take up the entire space, however, and soon her tail accompanied her.

Tiamon roared and slashed at the Raremon. That proved rather useless as Raremon's body absorbed the slashes and regenerated every wound.

She was starting to grow annoyed. A puff of smoke from her nostrils rose up, signifying that. With a loud roar, she dug her claw into its middle. Her eyes widened when she felt metal underneath. Digging further she also felt fur.

"Fur and metal?" She said before it hit her. "Genkimon!"

Raremon reared back and flung herself forward. Globs of gray waste splattered onto Tiamon's eyes.

Tiamon cried out and fell backwards. A column of water rose up and splashed near Kazuya and Sakura.

"This is why I didn't want to make her evolve." Sakura said flatly.

"Agreed." Kazuya said, cleaning the water droplets off his goggles.

Tiamon was not one to give up. She wiped the sludge off her eyes. They stung a bit, but it was nothing she could not stand. Genkimon was still alive, merely trapped within. Raremon began to heave back as if it were taking a breath. Tiamon would not risk using her Tiamat Flame for fear of harming Genkimon. Raremon breathed another "Breath of Decay" into the dragon's face.

Tiamon coughed heavily. Her body felt hot and she could feel her scales crisp. Around their edges, they were starting to turn black. Between coughs, she locked her gaze on Raremon.

Wadding onward she dove head first into the body. Raremon stopped momentarily as it tried to force out the scaly head that was sticking inside it.

Tiamon pulled her head out, only now a certain rabbit digimon was sticking halfway out of her slightly ajar maw.

"Genkimon!" Kazuya said in excitement and relief.

Tiamon dropped him into the water. He devolved back into Gazimon but strangely, he didn't wake up.

Tiamon was curious but turned her attention to her opponent when she heard it make another drawing breath. Now nothing was holding her back. The "Breath of Decay" blew forward.

"Tiamat Flame!" The fire mixed with the noxious gas and the result was Raremon being engulfed in flame. When the smoke and flame cleared, a smoked black muck remained in the space that Raremon's head once sat.

"That was rather easy, don't you think?" Sakura asked.

"We're the good guys, we have to win." Kazuya said cockily.

The remainder of Raremon's body deleted away and the two destined digimon devolved right on cue. Where the body once sat, a small creature lay splashing in the water.

Curious, Fairydramon swam forward. In front of her writhed a black shrieking tadpole. From its shrieks, it sounded like it was in pain. Its yellow eyes darted around before it deleted. Fairydramon floated there trying to recall where exactly she had seen those eyes before.

"Gazimon!" Fairydramon turned to Gazimon's still floating body. Everyone had noticed that he had not awoken yet. Kazuya prepared himself to jump in. He had his jacket halfway off when Fairydramon swam to her fellow Gazimon. The moment she was close, she grabbed him. Flapping her wings, she flew to Kazuya and Sakura laying Gazimon down. His eyes did not open, nor was he breathing.

"He needs some air!" Sakura said urgently.

Wasting no time, Fairydramon put her lips to Gazimon's and started to breath some good air into him. In and out, she breathed, pressing against his chest in the hope that any excess water would spurt out. So focused was she that she failed to see Gazimon's eyes blink open slowly. At first, the digimon thought he was dreaming, but he quickly realized that was not the case. Fairydramon, the love of his life, was actually kissing him! He knew it was not an imposter. This was the genuine deal. Chuckling mentally, he took advantage of the situation.

Kazuya and Sakura went wide-eyed as Gazimon wrapped his arms around his Fairydramon and locked her in a kiss.

Fairydramon's eyes grew so large that her eyelids completely disappeared back into her head.

A loud smack followed by screams, and the sound of a beating echoed throughout the sewer. The walls danced with shadows as the fires of rage burned.

--

GIRO sensed something stirring within the network. As it ran the entire town, it had somewhat of a link between the mechanized citizens. This was how it was able to gain control over the Guardromon and lesser digimon. After a lengthy process of entering their databanks, they easily fell under its influence. All accept one that is. Yes, one that GIRO tried countless times to control but could not. It wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because he was an Ultimate or maybe his programming had blocks. Whatever the case, he was awake now.

Fury, or a processed replica of the feeling, surged through GIRO, turning all the monitors red. GIRO would not stand for this.

"I should have scrapped Andromon when I had the chance." GIRO grumbled.

Though he was not able to control him, he could at least pinpoint his location.

"Attention all Guardromon units! Move towards the east sector at once!" GIRO ordered, sending the proper coordinates to its minions.

However, GIRO doubted the competence of the Guardromon only so slightly.

"Just in case, I will deal with them personally if the opportunity arises." Said GIRO.

Beeps sounded from the monitor and flashing red colored light shot forth.

"Physical avatar program launch." GIRO spoke. The light scanned from down to up, forming an image as it went. Finishing, the light disappeared back into the monitor. The room went dim, leaving the outline of a round shape with two arms in the dark.

--

Sho and Jun followed Andromon through the hallway. It was not that long of a walk as ten minutes had only passed, but this was only because Andromon had calculated every interval that had passed.

Before them was a door, but unlike the ones that had to be opened manually, this door was sliding.

"So, where are we?" Jun asked.

Andromon kept his head forward still leading them. "A storage room." He said.

"Storage for what?" Sho asked.

Andromon did not answer, still leading the way. The room was dimly lit like the rest of the factory yet they could still make out what was in front of them. Assembled in several rows were robots.

Jun and Sho nearly ran away, but they quickly observed that the robots did not move. The robots were a shining grey with square bodies kept upright with circular iron cylinders for legs. To their sides were long clawed arms hanging down limply. In the center of the bodies was a red eye jewel-like in appearance. A normal eye sat above to the upper left sinking within an orangish flesh. Those features implied life but a set of grill openings betrayed that notion. Furthermore, a glass dome crowned its top.

"What are those things?" Asked Sho.

"The only digimon besides myself that are not under GIRO's control." Answered Andromon.

"Those things are digimon?" Sho asked. He pulled out his digimon analyzer.

Digimon: Mekanorimon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Machine

Attacks: Twin Beam, 4-Disk Break

The analyzer and Andromon were correct. These creatures were digimon.

"GIRO attempted to control them yet since they lacked any form of conscience; it found it cumbersome to control all of these manually." Andromon explained.

Jun was surprised. "Okay, so these things are basically hollow shells?" She asked. Andromon nodded in response.

Jun blinked then proceeded to pinch the bridge of her nose. For a few seconds she did not respond, but then she breathed a sigh of perplexed annoyance

"Okay, that makes no sense at all." Said Jun.

"Pardon?" Andromon asked.

Jun put her arms down making several motions with her hands as if she was trying to comprehend something.

"If this computer is so great and powerful then why the heck would it leave these things here?" She asked

Andromon help up his finger but could not think of an answer.

"All the bad guys we faced always had some sort of flaw in their plan, and this one…damn!" Jun continued, exasperation evident in her voice.

"Jun, calm down." Sho said.

Jun did not, continuing her rant. "If I were the villain, I would have made sure to tie up any loose ends."

Sho saw she was going to go on and on with this. "Well, maybe even machines have pride. GIRO probably kept these things as a backup plan or something."

That answer was acceptable for the time being. Jun calmed herself taking a few short breaths.

"Okay, okay I'm fine now." Said Jun.

She turned back to Andromon. "Sorry, as you were saying."

Pointing back to the Mekanorimon, Andromon continued his explanation. "You humans can pilot these Mekanorimon. With them, you could have a probable chance against the Guardromon."

"Probable?" Sho asked.

"By now GIRO has been alerted to my reactivation. The Guardromon will likely become more hostile." Said Andromon.

"So our options are either stay here and die or get in one of those rust buckets and have only a fifty-fifty chance of dying." Said Jun, considering their options.

The girl shrugged. Her mind made up on her choice. "Why not? It's not everyday you get to drive a robot or a metal suit in this case." Jun corrected herself.

Sho was apprehensive about this all of a sudden. He wanted to help Andromon but he didn't know he would actually have to do the fighting himself. Fighting seemed like the only thing they did in this world to survive. Relenting, he joined Jun as she scanned over the Mekanorimon. Sure, they could pilot any old one. However, when matters are pressing one can be a bit indecisive.

The teen's eyes looked at the assembled rows. So many to choose from, but they stopped on two at the very front center. The Mekanorimon before them looked like the rest of the lot. Yet something was different about them. Neither of them could understand what it was, but there was a calling of sorts. Both felt it in their souls.

"Guess you're the one." Jun said, placing her hand on one of the Mekanorimon.

Sho did the same almost hesitantly.

"What's wrong Sanbara? Not feeling up to it?" Jun asked slyly.

Turning to her with a look of determination, Sho responded, "No, I'm sticking to this."

Jun smiled. "You got guts. Let's just see if they last."

Heaving herself up, Jun managed to scale the immobile suit. Reaching the top, she opened the cockpit and slid inside.

Gulping, Sho did the same, although almost slipping and falling. Surprisingly his descent into the cockpit was cushioned by a seat. In front of him were various buttons and joysticks. Placing his hand on them, he moved it. The Mekanorimon lurched. Sho jostled inside, trying to maintain balance.

"Hey, watch it!" Jun barked from outside.

Inside, Sho stood up. His head peeked through the glass cockpit to see Jun staring indignantly out her cockpit.

"Sorry." Said Sho, trying to bow but hitting the glass.

Jun rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her own controls. It was easy to get a feel for them. She placed her hands on the two joysticks and moved one forward. The right leg stood out then down as Jun pulled the joystick back. She started the same with the other stick and soon started a motion.

"Hey, I think I am getting the hang of it." Jun said, confidently.

Sho was growing slightly better. His Mekanorimon moved with a slight lurch.

Andromon watched with curiosity. He had been acquainted with organic digimon in his lifetime. Humans he had never seen in person, but watching these two human children interested him. No matter how many mistakes they made, their determination to control the vehicular digimon never ceased.

"Humans Sho, Jun we must leave now." Said Andromon. "We will have to use this entrance." Andromon pointed to the currently closed hangar door.

The Mekanorimon came to a stop and turned to the door. Jun moved hers forward and stopped just in front of the door.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll take care of it." She said. She began to push the buttons that lined the console.

"Now which button-?" Jun didn't finish her sentence. Whatever she had pressed, two beams forming into a helix emerged form the red eye in the center of the Mekanorimon. The twin beam of energy left a gaping perfect hole in the middle.

"Was that really necessary?" asked Sho.

The sound of turning gears and an electric hum came from the hangar door. Andromon had simply pressed a button on the wall to open it.

"Apparently not, but it was cool." Jun replied.

The two human-piloted Mekanorimon followed Andromon outside. Anticipations of a huge army of Guardromon were expected. To their surprise (and relief in Sho's case), there were none.

"What gives? I get this awesome suit and I don't get to use it!" Jun complained.

The familiar clanking chorus of feet made Jun cheer up a bit. Gripping the joystick handles on her console, she relished the thought of battle. Sho did the same albeit his was more halfheartedly. Andromon neither relished nor appeared halfhearted; he merely drew his drill blade, prepared for battle.

The clanking continued then just as it began, it stopped. Everyone glanced to their right and then to their left. Nothing came and that softened their senses.

"Above us!" Andromon alerted.

Far above, flying in formation, were the Guardromon. There was barely enough time to look as the Guardromon fired their "Guardian Barrages." Jun and Sho pulled their Mekanorimon back as far as they could. In panic, Sho pushed as many buttons as he could. His Mekanorimon rocketed upwards knocking into the group of Guardromon. Sho looked around him to comprehend what had just happened.

"Huh wha?" Sho stammered.

"Good thinking Sanbara!" Jun complemented. Like Sho, Jun pushed a random assortment of buttons. Her Mekanorimon rocketed in a fashion similar to the one before it. The only difference was that Jun managed to maintain more finesse.

"How come you're so good?" Sho asked.

Inside her cockpit, Jun shrugged. "Guess I just have talent."

The Guardromon quickly retaliated. Jun on the other hand was quicker. She fired another energy beam which merely grazed the Guardromon's armor but it was enough to short circuit them. A few of them clattered down with a crash.

Jun was prepared to fire another laser when Sho stopped her. "Jun, no. They're just victims!" Sho protested.

Jun sighed in annoyance. She hated to admit it, but Sho had a point. So in compliance she resorted to fending off the Guardromon with the Mekanorimon's claws. Like before, she quickly adapted to these new tactics.

Sho felt rather jealous. He had to make himself useful. He began to press random buttons in the hope he would be able to initiate an attack. Instead, he merely activated the rocket boosters and thus sped off.

Sho screamed as his Mekanorimon flew off in the opposite direction. Jun sighed and flew off after him. The Guardromon turned to pursue their targets.

"Gatling Attack!" The Guardromon turned to see two fish shaped missiles heading toward them. They attempted to evade and they were successful. Suddenly the missiles exploded, sending them clattering to the ground like the last batch.

Andromon felt a processed guilt in attacking them. He would try to refrain from deleting them if he could. Though if the situation called for it he would do what he would have to do. He looked down in reflection for moment then looked up when the approaching Guardromon alerted him. Now that the aerial squadron was defeated, the ground assault force moved in. Andromon prepped his drill blade and charged up a "Lightning Blade" attack.

--

Shaomon and Tsunomon were growing tired. Guardromon had chased them at every turn and of course those explosions coupled along.

"I don't think I can hop anymore." Said Tsunomon.

Shaomon slumped down despondently. "I know, me neither."

The puppy looked up to the sky. "Oh, my Sho-chan, where can you be?"

A whoosh flew by, knocking Shaomon to her feet. Two machine digimon she had never seen before were flying through the air. One of the machines held a smell that only her nose could trace.

"Sho-chan!" Shaomon cried happily.

Immediately, with great haste, Shaomon followed the two flying metal creatures. She was sure her partner was one of them and her nose had never steered her wrong before.

"Hey, wait up!" Tsunomon cried, hopping after Shaomon. He didn't have a good feeling about this, but he really had no choice in the matter.

--

Sho shifted and shook within his digimon craft. Frantically pressing any button he could get his fingers on, he hoped he would be able to stop. Luckily he pushed the right combination as he came to a stop, but shut off the engines in the process. Before he knew it, he was plummeting downwards.

He could see the ground below him. He awaited death when he suddenly felt his metal tomb come to a stop. Sho looked up to see another Mekanorimon holding his own.

"Jun?" Sho said, slightly dismayed.

"Any other thoughts on me not being reliable?" Jun asked.

Sho slowly shook his head. Now that he wasn't going to die, Sho began to randomly pres buttons only more slowly. His Mekanorimon rocketed upwards, the sudden downward shift nearly making Sho heave.

"Hey Sanbara, get a hold of that thing!" Jun shouted.

"Easy for you to say!" Sho yelled back.

Jun took a guess at what was going on. "Don't just push the buttons at random, try the two in the middle!" Jun suggested.

Seeing no other option, he did as Jun suggested. The Mekanorimon shook for a moment, before coming to a stop.

Jun had been right. Now, Sho's Mekanorimon was kept afloat by the rockets.

"Okay, now just move the joysticks or levers back and forth, just like when we were on the ground." Jun continued.

Again, Sho tried that and he flew towards Jun.

"Stop, stop!" Jun yelled.

Sho pulled both joysticks to a centered position. He stopped from crashing into Jun just in time.

"Thanks." Said Sho.

Jun flashed a thumbs up from behind her cockpit. "No prob." She responded.

A whistling sound distracted them, as below several Guardromon fired their missiles toward the two teens. Both of them retaliated by firing their lasers, exploding the projectiles. Without a word, Jun made her Mekanorimon descend to the ground. At once, she began to smack the Guardromon around clearly holding her own. Not wanting to seem like a wimp, Sho joined her, this time pressing the keys carefully. He joined Jun in fighting off the opposing metal menaces. Clumsy at first, Sho picked up battling very quickly.

Far from the battlefield, but at a distance suitable for viewing, Shaomon and Tsunomon were watching. Due to her suburb sense of smell, Shaomon could tell that her partner was in one of those metal suits. She figured Jun was in the other one, but she could really care less about what happened to Jun. She didn't mention her feelings to Tsunomon, whom she knew held his partner in high regard.

"Yeah, that's it Sho-chan, kick its butt!" Shaomon shouted, jumping up and down with excitement.

Tsunomon merely watched attentively. He was worried for Jun, but he knew she had things handled. As much as he and Shaomon wanted to join their partners in battle, they realized there was not much they could do at this point being as they are. They decided to sit back, watch, and congratulate their humans when the fighting finished.

The fighting continued with neither side backing down. Although protected by their mechanical shells, Sho and Jun were tiring. They themselves were not personally fighting yet the strain of keeping up with the programmed actions of their opponents was wearing on them.

"Lightning Blade!" The Guardromon that remained instantly shut down as electricity coursed through them. Their systems overloaded and they fell into lifeless heaps.

Andromon withdrew his blade, morphing it back into his hand.

"What took you so long?" Jun asked.

Andromon opened his mouth to answer when a sharp "_ping!_" bounced off his armor, knocking him off balance. A small object bounced off the cyborg repeatedly. Too fast was its movements for anyone to clearly see. The assailant ceased, allowing Sho and Jun to attend to their compatriot.

"Are you okay?" Sho asked with concern.

Before Andromon could even utter a syllable, a round ball stepped or rather floated between them.

"I strongly suggest against moving, organic filth." It replied in a sophisticated masculine tone.

The ball turned around facing the two human piloted machines. The creature before them was best accurately described as a metal ball with two arms, mischievous eyes with an equally matching smile. Two horns protruded form its head much akin to a devils.

Andromon rose, slowly raising himself up.

"It has been a long while since we last chatted Andromon." The ball creature said. "Yet I am most disappointed that you would insult our kind further by allying yourself with these…..humans."

Andromon recognized that voice. "GIRO!" He said, shocked.

A chuckle came from the ball now identified as GIRO. "Actually it would be more appropriate to call me Giromon."

Giromon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Machine

Attacks: Big Bang Boom, Giro Chainsaw

"Hold on a minute, you're GIRO?" Jun said, perplexed.

"Giromon." GIRO or Giromon corrected.

"Whatever." Jun shot back. "Aren't you supposed to be a computer?"

Andromon had risen up, recovering. His armor had a few dents. "So, you actually completed that avatar program." Andromon stated.

Giromon looked over its hands in admiration. "Yes, it appears to be a complete success." Giromon mused. It (or he due to the masculine tone) looked at both the Ultimate digimon and the controlled Champions.

"Oh Andromon, why didn't you just join me?" Giromon asked, almost sounding genuinely sad.

"Because of what you wanted to do." Andromon replied. "What happened to you GIRO? You once sought to help free this world, not dominate it."

Giromon produced what sounded like a scoff. "My, what a narrow view you have." Giromon began. "Don't you see how superfluous organic digimon are to the Digital World? Machines are flawless. It is only natural that we be the true rulers of this world."

"Flawless? If you're so perfect how come ya didn't scrap him and these?" Jun asked.

Giromon turned to her then crossed his arms. "Pride, I'm afraid. I was planning to find suitable pilots for those. Really, I should not have forced the Rookies to evolve into Guardromon. Strong as they are they lack certain… destructive quality." Giromon said, trying to find the right term.

"As for Andromon, I wanted to store him away so I could later "convince" him to join my cause.

Sho moved his Mekanorimon forward. "He's not joining any cause because were going to stop you!" He said, trying to sound brave.

Giromon clenched his fists angrily at Sho's words.

"You humans only prove my point." Giromon continued. "Don't thin I am not aware of what you have done to your own world. In a few years time your kind will probably destroy each other. Machines however, are precise and unified."

In a flash of pixilated light, a chainsaw materialized in Giromon's right hand. "Now it ends. Giro Chainsaw!" Giromon rushed towards Sho, revving up his chainsaw.

Sho held up the Mekanorimon's arms in defense. The motorized blades struck the metallic alloy, producing sparks. Sho looked very afraid behind his cockpit. Jun knocked Giromon away and attended to Sho. "You alright?" She asked.

Sho nodded, sweat dripping down his face.

"I didn't know this guy had a chainsaw." Jun said in disbelief.

Giromon chuckled darkly. "Oh, I have much more than that, my little human." Like the chainsaw before it, a spiked bomb materialized in the same pixilated light in Giromon's other hand.

"Big Bang Boom!" Giromon lobbed the bombs at Jun.

Quickly, Jun held up her hands in defense, but she doubted even that would stop a bomb.

"Look out!" Sho shouted. He activated his rockets boosters, knocking Jun out of the way. The bomb collided with his Mekanorimon in a loud explosion.

"Sanbara!" Jun screamed.

"Sho-chan!" Shaomon's scream mixed with Jun's. She could no longer contain herself.

"Tsuumo!" Shaomon leapt up, releasing her weak sonic attack. Giromon turned around, curios at this new specimen growling at him. Hesitantly, Tsunomon hopped a few feet towards Shaomon.

"You leave my Sho-chan alone, you big stupid meany!" Shaomon growled her usual insult.

Giromon paid no attention to the puppy, instead he looked at the destroyed remains of the human identified as Sho. Or at least, that was what he was expecting to find. Instead, the Mekanorimon merely had some exposed wiring and blasted metal. The human still could be seen, looking rather perplexed behind the cockpit.

"But how?" Giromon wondered aloud. His attack should have destroyed that Mekanorimon. Before he could question any further, the hum of electricity alerted him. He turned to see Andromon bearing his drill blade down on him. Giromon swiftly drew his chainsaw. Soon the two clashed in a sword fight or a good interpretation of one.

Sho could not believe he was still alive. The moment he saw that bomb collide with him he was sure he was a goner. His Mekanorimon retained some damage, yet it could still move.

"Must be pretty durable metal." Sho murmured.

"I'll say." Jun added.

Shaomon plodded happily up to her partner, yipping excitedly. Tsunomon closely followed her.

Sho and Jun looked down at their digimon, glad to see they were alright. They would have jumped out to join them, but remained inside regarding the circumstances.

"Oh Sho-chan, I'm so glad you're okay. I guess you too, Jun." Said Shaomon.

"Gee thanks." Jun muttered. She could sense the insincerity of Shaomon regarding her safety.

"I'm glad to see you both safe." Tsunomon said honestly. Jun was happy that at least one digimon was glad she was alive.

While the humans and their digimon reunited, Andromon and Giromon continued their duel. Electric hums and chainsaw revs clashed and clanged.

Andromon had the advantage in strength, yet Giromon had the advantage in size. So small and fast was he that Andromon had trouble striking the corrupt avatar. Giromon took any opportunity to dodge and strike. A few more pings and dents imbedded themselves into the silver body.

"I am getting sick and tired of this creep." Said Jun.

She marched her Mekanorimon forward, claws outstretched. Sho would have said something, but he did not want to give away Jun. Jun raised the claw high then lowered to strike. Giromon turned around a split second sensing something behind him. He drew his chainsaw but the claw knocked it out of reach.

"Sorry, not getting it." Jun mocked.

Giromon flew out of reach. He would have to recalculate and plan his moves carefully. A red flash flew by, nicking one of is horns. The horn cracked and then split off. Looking down, he could see that the damaged Mekanorimon piloted by Sho had been the culprit due to the dimming crystal in its center.

Giromon's calm mind began to replace itself with rage. He would not let humans outsmart him. A smart move would have been to bomb the already damaged Mekanorimon. However, Giromon was too clouded with anger to think straight. So, he did the only thing he could think of, he charged headfirst.

"Sanbara, get out of the way!" Jun shouted.

Sho stayed put, he was waiting for the right moment. He was not sure if his damaged vessel could perform any functions, but he decided to take a risk.

"Come on…a bit closer." Sho muttered.

Giromon drew closer. Sho knew the moment was right.

"Now!" Sho drew the arm up, grabbing Giromon.

Giromon was shocked and struggled in its grasp. But, the Mekanorimon had a fastened grip. The cockpit opened up and out jumped Sho.

"Okay, now's your chance!" He shouted to Jun and Andromon.

Jun looked to Andromon. "You want to do the honors?" She asked the cyborg digimon.

Andromon stepped forward, nodding his head. He opened his chest cavities revealing two openings. Looking at the struggling Giromon, he sighed. Giromon obviously could not be reasoned with. Locking on target, his chest made a loading sound.

"Gatling Attack." He said it solemnly. Two fish-shaped missiles rocketed out. Giromon could not even turn around as the missiles hit him. A loud explosion lit up the area. Andromon had made the correct calculations and prepared the right level of power for his missiles. The Mekanorimon fell lifelessly (it is basically a suit) Its claw had been blown clean off. Andromon had reservations about harming another machine digimon, sentient or not, but he had told himself before he would do what he had to do. Near it, lay the broken remains of Giromon. His ball shape had been split clean in half. Bits of wiring exposed itself, sparking and giving off tiny little explosions as everything shut down. A loud shrieking shocked everyone. A small black tadpole with yellow eyes crawled out. It gave off another shriek before deleting along with Giromon.

"That was a little freaky." Jun said, exiting her Mekanorimon.

Sho wiped some sweat off his forehead. Finally, it was over. Hopefully, no more robots would be trying to kill him.

"Sho-chan!" Shaomon immediately leapt up to her partner, licking his face not minding the sweat.

Tsunomon hopped up to his partner. "Jun, are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She waved her partner off.

It was then that Jun noticed that Sho's Mekanorimon was still intact. Walking over to it, she further inspected it. It had more damage, yet not as serious as one would expect.

"Damn, these things must be really durable or something." Said Jun.

A bright red flash erupted form the damaged Mekanorimon. Sho turned toward it. There was that feeling again. He had felt it when he picked his Mekanorimon. Strangely, he had felt it before. Once, when he was heading toward the city and another time when he first received his digicore. The Mekanorimon glowed a bright shade of red. It washed over the damaged digimon. Everywhere the light touched, damaged repaired itself. Soon the Mekanorimon looked as good as new. That was the least of the surprises, however. Out of the jewel in the center, a round red object emerged. It floated in the air, coming to a stop right in front of Sho.

Sho put Shaomon down on the ground as he gazed at the object. In its center, he could make out the sign of a heart. Like before, the digicore made its way into the chest of its intended wielder. The light subsided and all was normal.

"Only he gets one?" Jun asked, feeling left out.

Another light emerged from Jun's Mekanorimon, this time a drab sheen of grey. A round object emerged from the center jewel and floated its way toward Jun. In its center, Jun could see the symbol of a cross. The digicore slowly made its way into Jun's chest.

When that was done, the two teens walked over to each other.

"I never get used to that." Said Sho, rubbing his chest.

"So, what did you get?" Jun asked.

Sho shuffled his feet in embarrassment. "Love." He answered.

Jun held back a laugh. Sho's face flushed.

"Aw, don't take it so personal. I say that trait suits you." Jun commented.

"Really?" Sho asked.

"Absolutely, you showed that when you saved my but back there." Jun complimented.

"Thanks." Sho said, flushing again but this time not in embarrassment.

"What's yours?" Sho asked

Jun smiled proudly. "Reliability, I'd say it suits me."

A moment of silence followed that exchange of words. Never had these two talked at such a great length or spend that amount of time with each other. Sho was the first to break the silence.

"Anyway, I'd like to thank you Jun." He said, holding out his hand.

Jun held out hers and the two locked in a handshake.

"I can't believe I would ever be doing this." Sho commented.

Jun nodded her head in agreement. "Who would of thought…a few months ago with me shoving your head in a toilet."

Sho smiled at this turn of events. "You know, I really saw a new side to you and I have to say I'm impressed."

Jun raised her eyebrow and smiled slyly. "Oh Sanbara, do you mean what I think you mean?" She asked.

"Huh?" Sho muttered.

Jun knelt in close to Sho. "Now I can see why you got love as a trait."

Sho backed away, looking nervous. Jun gave a small laugh.

Shaomon looked at the two in disbelief. "You love Jun!" Shaomon suddenly exclaimed.

"Huh!?" Sho said again, this time in pure shock.

Shaomon growled. "Did you know about this!?" She demanded from Tsunomon.

Tsunomon merely shook, showing he didn't know anything. Shaomon turned to the humans. Her jealous rage was gone and her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Sho-chan, I thought we had something! But you were with her behind my back?" Shaomon wimpered.

"No, it's not like that!" Sho screamed.

Jun snickered. Even though she no longer held any thoughts of bullying him, it was still fun to get a rile out of Sho.

Andromon watched the display the whole time with curiosity. With Giromon gone, the Guardromon should have returned to normal by now. He did wonder what that thing that came out of Giromon was, but it deleted before he could properly examine it. His sensors did pick up one thing. The readings showed it had the same reading as the fog surrounding the island.

--

In another part of Factorial Town there lay an opening. An open path to the sewers was what it was. The only purpose it served was for waste disposal. From the open mouth of the pathway, four figures stepped out.

"Glad to be out of there." Sakura said, happily. She was glad to breathe some fresh air.

"You've got to admit it was a good journey." Kazuya replied.

Gazimon and Fairydramon trailed close to their partners. Fairydramon held a look of extreme irritation upon her scaly visage. Gazimon looked the same save for the red mark on his cheek and his black eye.

"Look, I said I was sorry!" Gazimon apologized

"I don't care! You had me worried sick when you pretended to drown!" Fairydramon shot back.

"For the last time, I was not pretending, I really- wait you said you were worried?" Gazimon asked.

Instantly, Gazimon embraced Fairydramon. "Oh, my sweet honey, I knew you felt the same way."

Fairydramon shoved Gazimon off. "Don't get any ideas, rabbit. I was just worried about a fellow digimon."

Gazimon smirked, lowering his eyes. "Why are you blushing?"

A small tinge of pink was on Fairydramon's face. She turned around crossing her arms in a huff. "N-No reason." She stammered.

"Mmhmm you can hide it all you want, but I know how you really feel." Said Gazimon.

Fairydramon breathed a small flame turning her head further away from Gazimon's direction.

Not wanting there to be another argument, Kazuya decided it was best they move on. He held up his digivce, following two colored blips.

"The others should be around here somewhere." He said, positively.

It would seem that the digidestined would soon be reunited. That is to say, almost all of them. One was still missing.

To be continued…

Finally I have returned. I would have updated soon but some depressing events in my life. It seems the company I was working for was starting to flounder so they had to make some layoffs. So you can guess who one of the unlucky picks was. As of now I am job hunting. I have been applying like crazy but I am feeling optimistic. Anyway I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I would like to thank all those who have read and reviewed it. Kudos to anyone who guess which movie I as referencing with the Guardromon. I won't say much on what the next chapter is about but you can probably guess which character the next one will focus on. Until next time.


	26. Chapter 26

_She had been swimming for quite some time. Already the sun was starting to sink as if the waves themselves were swallowing it. However, she loved swimming too much to stop. Her judgment was not thoroughly lacking. When the sun had set significantly, she decided to turn back and head to shore. Swimming at a steady pace, she set her concentration on her task. So set was she, she did not notice the fog starting to roll in._

---

Andromon surveyed the damage done to the computer system. Giromon's corruption had left notable scars but nothing that could not be healed. The remaining Guardromon had rebooted their systems. For them it was like waking from a dream. They had no recollection of what they had done and perhaps that was for the best.

It would be a length of time but eventually Factorial Town would be restored to its former glory. As he continued his check up, his mind wandered to the humans. He was surprised to find more of them wandering the city and even more surprising, they had a Gazimon and a Fairydramon traveling with them. Apparently, they were acquainted with the humans Sho and Jun. Whatever the case Andromon was glad they were reunited.

Once the routine checks on the town were complete, Andromon decided he should attempt to make contact with the Server branch. He input the proper codes but nothing but static was the result. With a tap of the keyboards, the entire island was displayed on the computer screen.

"So it was the fog, and not Giromon that caused the interference." The thick mist surrounded everything, giving an appearance of an eye looking from a top down view. While trapped, the island seemed normal, save for one. At one part of the island, there was nothing but black.

"Overdell Cemetery is gone!" Andromon said in shock.

---

Sakura enjoyed times like this. After that ordeal in the sewers, she and the others were glad to reunite with the rest of their friends. They all sat in the middle of a warehouse floor. Each of them had related the events that had transpired between them. Upon hearing Jun's tale, Kazuya found it hard not to laugh.

"It's not that funny!" Jun shouted.

Kazuya held down his laughs so he could speak. "Oh come on it's totally funny."

Sakura herself had to hold back a laugh.

Jun crossed her arms. "You wouldn't think it's so funny if it happened to you." She defended.

Kazuya's laughs softened into giggles. Then they stopped completely.

"Geez, Sanbara here was felt up by a catwoman. Why don't you laugh at him?" Jun annoyingly asked.

From her spot on Sho's lap, Shaomon growled at that memory. Her growls ceased when Sho began to pet her.

"Come on, she didn't feel me up!" Sho defended.

"You were hypnotized so how could you tell?" Jun asked.

Sho looked down with an embarrassed flush.

Tsunomon nudged Jun prompting her to speak. "Relax, I'm just kidding." She said.

A few moments of silence passed. Nothing was said. Times like this were rare intervals. Mostly their adventure consisted of fighting, running, and killing in self-defense. The eight of them took advantage of the peace for a part of them knew it would not last. That is when another problem arose, there was not supposed to be eight of them but ten.

Sakura could not leave that fact unspoken.

"So neither of you saw Chiisi?" She asked, although she knew the answer.

"He's not here. What does that tell you?" Jun replied.

Sakura looked down in disappointment. Tsunomon nudged Jun yet again.

"Okay I'm sorry!" Jun apologized. "Can't I say something without anyone having a problem?"

Sakura looked up. "Don't worry, I know you didn't mean anything by it." She said. Again, she slumped down. "I just wish I knew if he was okay."

Kazuya put his hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. Chiisi is a tough kid." He said, attempting to comfort her.

Sakura smiled, feeling a little better. Jun was about to say something in response to the display, but decided to keep her mouth shut.

"I'll admit, it's quite different without him or DemiDevimon around." Said Fairydramon.

"Yeah it's kind of odd. They did make things lively." Gazimon added.

It was a unanimous notion. Each human and their partner had conflicting personalities with each other. However, that only made them match so well with their partners. The same was true for Chiisi and DemiDevimon. Whether it was Chiisi's calm approach to everything or DemiDevimon's bloodlust for battle, they added a depth of atmosphere.

"You think Chiisi is back in that place?" Sho asked.

Everyone knew where "that place" referred. That realm of darkness where those creatures resided.

"Hmm…that's the last place we saw him." Kazuya noted. "It would make sense."

Tsunomon looked nervous, hopping close to Jun. "D-does that mean we have to go back there?" He asked.

Gazimon's face lit up. "I hope so." Said Gazimon. "Ah, I can already taste those cigars." He mused.

"I'm pretty sure those were just illusions." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon crossed his arms. "So what? I know what I like."

Kazuya put his hand to his face. "Do I have to get into another conversation about dangers to your health?"

Not liking what he was hearing, Gazimon covered his ears. "I'm not listening." Gazimon said defiantly.

Jun turned to Sho. "I think we missed something." She whispered.

"I'll say." Sho said, looking at Kazuya and Gazimon who had now begun arguing.

Shaomon had hopped in close, curious to what Kazuya was yelling about. "Um, Sho-chan, what's emphysema?" She asked.

A pet and scratch on the head was Shaomon's answer. Not what she expected, but she liked it.

The humorous display between the goggle boy and the rabbit lightened the mood, except for Sakura. A feeling of morose-induced worry filled her. Until she knew where her dear cousin was, it would stay.

---

Gray, gray, gray was all there was. The eternity of it was almost maddening. That may have been an over-exaggeration as Chiisi felt perfectly fine. He and DemiDevimon had left the beach behind them. A grassy field lay before them. There was no path to walk on, nor even a sign for directions.

"It's safe to say we're lost." Said Chiisi.

DemiDevimon flew up from his perch on Chiisi's shoulder. Looking around he grumbled something under his breath. A look of displeasured disappointment framed upon his masked brow.

"Not worried about that kid." DemiDevimon began. He then made a drawing of breath. "What I am upset about, is that there has been nothing trying to kill us!"

Chiisi sighed. "This again?" He asked. Complaints about lack of fighting had been common dialogue.

"You don't understand!" DemiDevimon turned to Chiisi. His demeanor was replaced with a manic craving. His eyes were wide and his talons twitched. "Without a fight I get withdrawal."

"You're an addict." Said Chiisi.

"It's not like I'm the only one with addictions!" DemiDevimon said defensively. "Labramon has food and her partner. Gazimon's is woman and to be honest I think he's a bit of a hedonist." DemiDevimon recited, counting off with his talons.

"What about Penguinmon and Fairydramon?" Chiisi asked.

Thinking, DemiDevimon searched for any faults those two had. "Addiction wise, those two are fine." Said DemiDevimon.

"Yeah, you're right." Chiisi said in agreement. "Anyway, let's keep moving."

Seeing no other alternative, they moved onward. This seemed rather pointless as an endeavor. It was all they could do. They walked for who knows how long. Everything was the same. DemiDevimon opened his mouth to complain yet again until architecture breached the scenery.

A set of stones sat imbedded in the ground. The two walked forward, curiosity getting the better of them. Upon closer inspection, the stones appeared much like the towering monoliths that hotel became. The only difference was the size. They appeared to be made from the same stone masonry, the same ebony coloring. The stones were arranged in a circle. In the center stood one stone different from the others. A front portion had been chiseled away into a flat smooth surface. Etched on it was writing and above that was an image.

The image was that of a creature Chiisi had never seen before but felt familiar. It was squid-like in appearance with evil looking eyes. Below was a message.

"_The children of darkness who sleep beneath the sea await the time of the reckoning. Light wretched since time eternal bound in an endless cycle of conflict and strife. Fear not for our savior shall come and herald this realm into all others consuming. So says the lord of Dark Ocean."_

Chiisi recited the proverb in verbitarium. The tone and structure of it sparked a feeling of enticement. He did not know where it came from and to him that was frightening. After all, darkness was evil and light was good. That had been the concept of most stories. The antagonists would always use the power of darkness while the protagonists would receive their power from light. But why did he feel such a longing for the word? If Chiisi was worried before then his fear had only begun.

"How did you read that?" DemiDevimon asked.

"What?" Chiisi replied.

"That message is written in digicode, only digimon can read it." Said DemiDevimon.

Chiisi was aghast. "I-I don't know. The words just popped in there." He replied in a frightened tone. Unfortunately, that would be the least of his worries. A rasp of breath alerted him to one of the stones. A black figure with skin like water slowly crept from behind it. Chiisi took a step back as he realized what it was. The same creatures that menaced them in the hotel. Its yellow eyes drew themselves to the boy.

"Pleasssse come with ussss!" It rasped.

Chiisi continued to step back.

"We have waited sssso long for you to come." Chiisi turned around to find more of those creatures coming from behind.

More soon followed, coming from all sides. Chiisi looked around for any chance of escape. DemiDevimon was happy, for this would be his only chance for battle. He almost pulled out a demi dart, until he saw the fear in his partner's eyes. Normally, his human was stoic and calm in any situation but now seeing him like this struck something in him.

Putting away his dart, DemiDevimon knelt to Chiis's ear. "Kid, I think now's the time we should make a break for it."

"Think we can make it?" Chiisi asked (although he was surprised his digimon was not begging to fight).

"If you haven't noticed, whenever we have to run, we miraculously break through." DemiDevimon answered.

Basing his memories on experience while in the Digital World, Chiisi did as instructed and ran. A few of the creatures grabbed him but they were unprepared for the fear of a ten-year-old boy running for life so dear.

"Wait!" Chiisi could hear their raspy inhuman voices. He ran with every fiber of strength. His muscles pumped with adrenaline. Yet a part of him seemed to want to go back. He could hear a small voice in the back of his mind commanding him to turn around. He wisely ignored it and pressed on into a now foggy unknown.

"Come back our pr-." The last part was cut off as Chiisi had clearly run beyond earshot. The fog grew thick bringing both comfort and apprehension to the boy. Despite that, he kept moving. A dark shape formed a shape beyond. It was a building with the sound of a bell accompanying it.

---

_The fog grew thicker and the young woman had no idea where she was going. She tried to keep her mind calm and not focus on the dangers of the sea. If she concentrated on getting back to shore then she would succeed. A few minutes passed and still the sensation of sand against her toes was naught. She had swum here for so many years that the path had imprinted itself into her brain._

_Looking around, she hoped to find any mark of land, even a buoy would be acceptable. She was about to continue swimming when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Whatever it was, it disappeared into the water with a splash. She could have sworn there was a flash of yellow amidst black._

---

The remaining digidestined gazed out toward the open bay of Factorial Town. There were no boats stationed assuming that machines had no need for them. Any thoughts of sailing away dispersed as the thick fog blanket kept them where they were.

"Man, have you ever seen fog that thick before?" Kazuya asked.

No one answered but neither had in their lives. Something was amiss about this fog. Everyone could feel it, particularly the digimon.

"Whatever kind of fog that is, I can sense evil." Said Fairydramon.

"I know what you mean" Said Sakura.

Everyone turned to her in surprise. "You can sense that?" Sho asked.

Sakura was about to answer when Jun spoke up first. "That's what she just said." Jun remarked.

"Jun, don't be so rude!" Tsunomon scolded.

Jun rolled her eyes. "What? I'm just tired of everyone stating the obvious. Noticing all eyes on her Jun decided to amend. "Sorry I interrupted."

Sakura cleared her throat a bit and continued. "Yeah, I don't know how to explain it, but something is not right about that fog."

"Maybe Andromon knows more about it." Said Jun. Yet again all eyes were on her.

"You know that's not a bad idea." Kazuya admitted.

Glad that for once her words held merit, Jun followed the others in asking Andromon on the strange fog. First, they had to find him. Whilst searching they came across some Guardromon who directed them to the cyborg digimon. Jun and Sho were a little surprised and apprehensive. They were still not over the Guardromon nearly killing them.

Their search ended at a large tower near the center of the city. This was no average tower, for it was where all the main computers were located. It was also the former lair of the malicious program GIRO. Now that GIRO was no more, it was returning to its previous and true use. Entering inside, they spied a long flight of stairs leading up.

"I think we should take the elevator." Kazuya noted, noticing how high they rose.

Located conveniently near the stairway was an elevator. With grins on their faces the kids and their digimon eagerly anticipated the "ding". No such sound came.

"Guess they aren't up yet." Said Sho.

That meant they had to go up, the old-fashioned way.

Disappointed groans all around, they strode upwards. Minutes passed and the disgruntled party had not reached the summit. Each flight had a space where the steps formed into a platform, giving them an opportunity to rest.

While they panted, Kazuya looked up at the floor directory.

"How far do we have to go?" Sakura asked.

"You don't want to know." Kazuya responded.

Another round of groans sounded out all around and again they trudged. For the sake of keeping an interesting sequence of plot, the rest of their trek would not go into detail and will commence upon their completion of their ascension of the staircase.

Finally reaching the top floor, they all nearly collapsed.

"You know, I don't get why machines would need all those stairs." Said Jun.

"Different world…different rules." Sho responded.

In front of them was a large metal sliding door. Taking a few moments of regaining their energy, the doors slid open and they stepped through.

The room inside was dimly lit but several rows of computers could be outlined amidst. One computer screen was lit up and in front of it was Andromon. Alerted to the presence of the humans and digimon, he turned around.

"Oh humans, greetings! What brings you here?" Andromon asked.

Kazuya waved his hand, about to speak but Sho beat him to it.

"Hey Andromon, how are things going?" He asked.

"Very satisfactory. So far, all the Guardromon have reverted to their original programming."

Like Kazuya before her, Sakura raised her finger in response but this time Jun beat her.

"Say, you know if that elevator is going to be running any time soon?" Asked Jun.

"All the cities' systems should be operational in an hour's time." Andromon answered.

Seeing that there was no answer to the reason they came here, Fairydramon flew up. "Those are all well and nice, but we had another reason for coming here." Fairydramon started.

"Hey, why didn't you just fly up instead of walking?" Tsunomon asked.

Rolling her eyes, she turned around. "To answer your question, if I flew up that great a distance I would get tired. And I wouldn't want to plummet from that height and snap my neck." Fairydramon answered.

"Oh." Tsunomon answered, a little disturbed by that morbid sounding response.

Clearing her throat, she continued. "Okay moving on. Andromon what do you know about that strange fog?" Fairydramon asked.

Andromon appeared startled by the question. His demeanor then changed returning to the same calm, blank look.

"To be perfectly honest I don't know much about it myself." Andromon truthfully answered.

Turning to his computer, he typed a few keys until an island displayed on the screen.

"It appeared around File Island a few months ago and communications with the outside ceased." Said Andromon.

"File Island? Isn't that the same place we heard about at Datamon's place?" Gazimon asked his teammates.

"You know Datamon?" Andromon asked.

Kazuya nodded his head. "Yeah, we worked with him once before." Kazuya answered.

Sakura took a few steps forward, her eyes looking at the screen. "So that fog is why Datamon had trouble communicating here." She said to herself.

Sakura continued to stare at the fog. Even on a computer screen, the feeling of fear and dread filled her.

"This fog isn't natural, is it?" She asked.

Andromon shook his head. "I know nothing more about it but I have my theories."

"Like?" Jun prodded.

"Have you ever heard of the "World of Darkness"? Andromon asked.

From the name of that place, the digidestined were sure they had not been there. However, they had a good guess.

"Actually, we think we may have been there once." Sho answered.

"Yeah almost got killed there." Jun added.

"I have heard many stories about that place and I believe this fog may have a connection to it." Said Andromon.

From the way the fog looked, that theory would be an educated guess. Continuing to look at the screen, the feelings Sakura had disappeared and changed to worry. Now she had an idea where their missing teammates had disappeared to.

---

The fog had lessened and dissipated somewhat as Chiisi and DemiDevimon trudged through it. They were certain those creatures had ceased following them but that did not make Chiisi feel better for some reason.

"I think we lost them." Chiisi said with a relief-filled sigh.

DemiDevimon (who was still sore from a lack of battle) replied "Oh joy."

The fog still had a level of thickness but not as much as before. Now they could make out what was in front of them, but just barely. The large shape in the front appeared to be a building. What building? They could not say. Smaller shaped objects jutted themselves out of the ground.

Curiosity piquing him, Chiisi leant forward to get a better look. The closer he got, the more the fog parted away revealing what the hidden thing was. It was a grave. Some phrase about killing a cat came to mind. Chiisi scrambled to his feet. He did not want to see what was on the headstone. He was getting a horror movie feeling now and generally, movies such as this involved the main characters finding their own names inscribed on the marker.

"Lets keep moving." Said Chiisi. Even in times such as this Chiisi tried to maintain a calm approach to everything.

DemiDevimon returned to his partner's shoulder.

"Believe it or not this spot is actually comfortable." Said DemiDevimon.

More graves surrounded them, partially hidden. The more they moved, the more the object ahead was revealed.

Finally, Chiisi could make out the shape. It was a building, a church to be precise.

"So that is what the ringing was about." Chiisi noted.

All of a sudden, DemiDevimon flapped off Chiisi's shoulder.

"What's up?" Chiisi asked.

"Shhh! Listen." Said DemiDevimon.

Chiisi perked his ears. Far off there was a sound, actually more like a melody. A mixture of flutes and drums played. Again, curiosity overtook him and he ran. As they ran, the area seemed brighter almost. Their running stopped when they reached the back of the church and what awaited them was a congregation.

Dancing in a circle in tune with the music were people. They seemed human enough. Some were dressed in ceremonial robes while others dressed in casual wear. Chiisi could not see their faces as they were hidden behind masks. Strangely, the masks bore resemblance to humans.

"Peculiar." Chiisi murmured.

"I'll say! What are humans doing here?" DemiDevimon asked.

"Don't have a clue." Chiisi replied.

Now at this moment, a cliché would be that a twig is stepped on, alerting the dancers to the duo's position. Of course, a branch was placed ever so directly near Chiisi's foot and he just happened to step on it.

"_Snap!_" Everyone stopped dancing and turned their attention to Chiisi and DemiDevimon. All eyes were on them, so Chiisi said the first thing that came to mind.

"Um hi." Chiisi greeted.

"Great opening." DemiDevimon remarked.

The crowd merely said nothing, only standing there. The crowd formed a circle huddling close together. From the murmurs, it sounded like they were conversing amongst themselves. The murmuring stopped and they again turned their attention to Chiisi.

"What are you doing here, boy?" One of the dancers, a robed man resembling a priest asked.

Something in the man's voice made Chiisi nervous. "Nothing! My partner and I are just lost." Chiisi answered.

Chiisi turned to leave but stopped when he heard rustling behind him. He turned to find more people emerging from the fog.

"Please stay, we were just about to eat." The priest said.

Chiisi and DemiDevimon remembered it had been a while since they had eaten.

"Well I am hungry." Said Chiisi.

"Yeah, so what's on the menu?" DemiDevimon asked.

The priest laughed. "Oh it's quite a treat. In fact, you'll just scream."

The crowd drew closer. Mentioning his nervousness would serve no purpose at this point since it was obvious.

"Tell me boy, do you like tricks?" The priest asked.

To be honest, Chiisi liked a few jokes, but not many. "A little." He answered.

The priest and the crowds stopped moving. "Oh, you'll love this one!"

"_KRRRRK!_" A piece of the priest's mask started to break. Soon, the other masks followed in suit. The small cracks grew bigger, until an explosion of plaster clattered to the floor. The people's clothes and skin ripped away into nothingness, revealing the horror underneath.

In place of the former humans were, to put it simply, ghosts. The classic archetypal ones that looked like floating bed sheets. Except the bed sheets had mouths filled with rows of sharp teeth and beady black eyes staring out.

Bakemon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Ghost

Attacks: Zombie Claw, Evil Charm

The now revealed digimon looked at Chiisi and DemiDevimon. "Munching on your bones will be quite a treat!" The lead Bakemon spoke.

Seeing all of this was too much for a kid to handle. Normally, Chiisi would have held up his digivice and asked DemiDevimon if he was ready to evolve. Those situations did not involve being stuck in a dark, forbidding world filled with nothing but demonic creatures.

Chiisi ran without saying anything. He moved so fast that DemiDevimon nearly fell off his shoulder. He could hear the Bakemon behind him, their wails and the gnashing of teeth. Running to the back exit if there even was one would be suicide. So he took a risk and hoped the front entrance was open.

He reached the double-barreled wooden doors and immediately leapt for the handle. No matter how much he pushed and pulled, the door did not budge. He tried banging so much that he probably had a few splinters now.

When nothing happened Chiisi collapsed to his knees. He was tired of running, all he wanted was to go home.

"Hey kid, either I fight or we start running!" DemiDevimon flapped frantically up.

From around the corner they could make out the white outlines of the Bakemon.

Chiisi was too scared to react. He was not sure if it was from the ghost digimon themselves or the experiences tolling on his mind but fear was prevalent in his brain.

Then when it seemed doubtful that a freak stroke of luck would happen, one did. The doors flew open with a gust. As soon as they opened, a sound echoed out. It sounded like something hard striking against stone.

Hearing it, the Bakemon stopped in their tracks. They almost seemed liked they were hesitant to go.

Seeing he had an opportunity, Chiisi took it and ran inside. DemiDevimon followed out of loyalty, although he would have much rather stayed and fought. The doors closed shut with a hard wooden thud. The Bakemon hovered in the air for a few seconds before turning to each other and floating away. A missed opportunity, but they could wait. The bells of the church rang, promising sanctuary.

---

Darkness and shadows greeted the pair inside. Now, Chiisi preferred the fog.

"Some sanctuary." Chiisi muttered.

DemiDevimon flapped his wings, folding them back in comfort. "I like it." He said.

"As do I." A voice suddenly spoke out through the darkness, causing both of them to jump.

"No need to be alarmed. I harbor no feelings of malice towards you." The voice spoke again.

The voice had a smooth tone to it. Chiisi knew whomever it was, it was a man. "Are you a digimon?" Chiisi asked.

"Of course." Said the voice. "Now why don't you step away from there and come inside?" The digimon asked.

After the digimon spoke, Chiisi heard a sound. They almost sounded like wing flaps.

Common sense told Chiisi not to move forward. Like DemiDevimon, Chiisi could not help, but find comfort in these shadowed halls. The same feeling had overtaken him outside. The darkness was inviting and he accepted the invitation.

Walking forward, he counted each stone tile. Once, someone told him this was a good way to fight back fear, keeping your mind on something else. He continued walking and counting, stopping when he heard a sound, as if a bird descended from the air to the ground below.

"I welcome you to my home." The shadowed digimon spoke.

"You live here?" Chiisi asked.

A clattering tapped against the tiles, indicating movement. "Actually, this is quite temporary for the time being. At least until I find a way to free myself from this world."

"You mean you got trapped too?" Chiisi asked.

A sigh came from the shadows. "Yes. I sought this place out in my pursuit of knowledge." The digimon began. "After months upon days, I managed to stumble upon this realm, but then a quandary arose."

"You got stuck didn't you?" DemiDevimon asked.

"Indeed." The shadowed digimon answered.

Chiisi felt comfort knowing that he and his partner digimon were not the only ones lost in this forboding place. A plethora of questions filled his head.

"Tell me more about this world." Chiisi asked.

The shadowed digimon gave a low chuckle, as if amused by the question. "My my, why would a boy your age want to know about a dreadful place such as this?" The shadowed digimon asked.

"I'm a very curious person." Chiisi replied.

Silence passed for a few moments then it was followed by a twitching sound. The shadowed digimon then spoke again.

"This world exists parallel to the Digital World and even your world." Said the shadowed digimon.

The idea of parallel worlds fascinated Chiisi. He had often wondered if there were other dimensions, even universes. Now he had visited two.

"So, is it true evil digimon go here when they die?" DemiDevimon asked.

A cracking sound broke out through the darkness. DemiDevimon could tell the digimon was looking at him.

"Indeed they do. Digimon who were very evil in life or immersed themselves in darkness too long wind up here upon deletion." Said the shadowed digimon. "Lamentably, their souls become trapped here, never to escape, save for a lucky few." The shadowed digimon added with a tone of regret.

"The digimon version of hell." Chiisi noted.

A growl interrupted Chiisi preventing him from asking any further questions. Looking down, he could tell it was his stomach. Upon realizing this, DemiDevimon's growled too.

"Hungry?" The shadowed digimon asked.

"Very." Chiisi and DemiDevimon replied.

The shadowed digimon turned around or that is what everyone assumed from the sounds of movement.

"Oh that's right. You can't very well eat in this darkness." The shadowed digimon realized.

Shuffling followed by rustling and much clattering came.

"Ah! This should do it." The shadowed digimon exclaimed.

Instantaneously, a light lit up, brightening what was in front of Chiisi's face. Chiisi was glad he could see, but now he had a good look at what kind of digimon he was speaking to.

Putting it simply, the digimon looked like a giant skeleton. Its bones were red the same color as blood. That explained all the cracking and clattering. Tattered black wings hung from its back. Now Chiisi knew what all the flapping was. In the center or where the ribcage was, a round black ball was encased in a bony prison. In the digimon's hand, it held a staff of sorts with a yellow crystal ball encased at the tip. Lastly, there were a few articles of clothing, a belt, some boots and gloves and a mask. At least Chiisi thought it was a mask. The top of the digimon's skull was completely black with a symbol of a bat in its center. Two glowing balls of light were its eyes in the otherwise empty sockets.

Chiisi did not scream. It was a shock truthfully and it would be a lie to say he was not a little frightened. A chill ran up the back of his neck, tickling the hairs. His brain locked up. He didn't know what to do.

"A talking skeleton…..neat." Said Chiisi.

The revealed digimon stared at him. "Greetings. I am SkullSatamon." He greeted.

SkullSatamon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Undead

Attacks: Nail Bone, Skull Hammer

"An Ultimate huh?" DemiDevimon noted with jealousy staring at the screen of Chiisi's analyzer.

SkullSatamon pointed his staff towards the table. In a bowl sat a bunch of bananas. Eagerly, Chiisi and DemiDevimon sat. Hungry as they were they didn't eat with a starved ferocity, instead eating at their normal pace.

Chiisi peeled his banana and then noticed there was nothing underneath. He looked to DemiDevimon to find he had begun eating the peel. Surprised and not at the same time, Chiisi ate his peel. It tasted like a normal banana.

"Digital World food is very strange." Murmured Chiisi.

SkullSatamon took no food and instead sat down in one of the chairs surrounding the table.

"Now, tell me how a human child and a digimon find themselves in this world?" SkullSatamon asked.

Chiisi told SkullSatamon of how they came to be lost. He left out parts such as "digidestined" since he wasn't sure if he should go around telling a walking skeleton he just met every detail. He spoke in detail of their encounters in this world providing more questions as the discussion went on.

"To answer your first question, this world has a way of playing tricks on your mind at times." SkullSatamon begin. "Sometimes, it delves into our innermost desires and brings them to life as mere illusions."

Chiisi nodded his head in response and understanding. The question which he was referring to was of course, the incident in the hotel. At the time, he and the others wanted a safe secure shelter. So, the world granted them one only with a dark twist.

Interesting as this was, Chiisi had one last question. "Do you know what those dark creatures are?"

"The Bakemon?" SkullSatamon asked back.

Chiisi shook his head. "No. They sort of look like fish, only their skin looks like black water."

SkullSatamon knew exactly whom Chiisi was referring to. "Ah them, I've only encountered them sparingly, but those creatures you saw skulking about are referred to as the "Digital Deep Ones". Alternatively, just "Deep Ones." Said SkullSatamon.

"The "Deep Ones." Chiisi repeated. Something about the name seemed appropriate. They were aquatic creatures, so deep would relate to water. This was going to be his last question, but one more popped inside.

"I've seen something bigger out there." Said Chiisi.

SkullSatamon looked attentively at the boy, seemingly surprised. "You have?" He asked.

Chiisi nodded. "You know who he is, don't you?" Chiisi said.

SkullSatamon looked away, seeming as if he was making sure no one else was listening. When he was finished, he turned back to Chiisi.

"I've only heard about him, but indeed there is one out there that controls those creatures and this entire dimension." Said SkullSatamon.

"Is he a digimon?" Chiisi asked.

SkullSatamon nodded, his neck cricked and popped as the joints moved. "Indeed, he is a powerful digimon to say the least. Some simply now him as the Dark Undersea Master, but I am among the ones who know his true name, Dagomon." SkullSatamon rasped the name like a hiss.

"Dagomon." Chiisi repeated (he was starting to feel like a parrot). The name sent another wave of familiarity over him. He had never heard that name before, but he felt that a part of him always did. Instantly, memories of his first trip to this world flooded back. It was during Wisemon's training that he first spoke to a voice calling itself the master of this world. He remembered the water; it seemed shallow yet had deepness to it. Then the shape, oh he could not forget the monstrous shape that rose out of the water. Thankfully, the training ended, ending that nightmare. Now however, the nightmare appeared to be resuming itself.

DemiDevimon had been listening to the conversation attentively, but now he was feeling a bit tired. He was not sure if the conversation was boring him or if it was all the bananas he had consumed.

Giving a deep yawn, he said. "This has been very enlightening, but I think I'm going to hit the hay."

Chiisi yawned as deeply as his digimon. "You're contagious." The boy said.

"I'm sorry to say the bedding here is rather…..uncomfortable." Said SkullSatamon.

"It's alright. I'll sleep here if you don't mind." Chiisi said.

SkullSatamon gave another nod again with the cracking of bones accompanying it. DemiDevimon was the first to fall asleep and Chiisi followed in suit. Chiisi was not sure why he was tired. Maybe the ordeals he had undergone were the cause, but he did not really care. He only felt comfort now. Soon, he was out like a light.

SkullSatamon dispersed into the shadows. Walking through the corridors, he kept very silent. Then he stopped. With his free hand, he made a grabbing motion. From a nearby shadow, he pulled back a wriggling Bakemon.

"What have I told you about trying to haunt me?" SkullSatamon asked.

"Sorry master." The Bakemon spoke.

SkullSatamon let go and the Bakemon floated a few meters away.

"So, do we eat them?" The Bakemon asked. Its eyes were full of hope and pleading.

"Are you insane!? I won't let you devour a brother devil!" SkullSatamon yelled, but kept his voice silent enough to not alert the slumbering child and digimon.

"Okay." The Bakemon answered dejectedly. "But what about the boy?" The Bakemon asked again hopefully.

"No. There's something about that boy. I can't really say what it is, but I can feel it oozing out of his pores. The pure essence of darkness."

"Pure essence?" The Bakemon parroted.

SkullSatamon looked down the opposite path of the hallway. He had plans, big plans for that young human.

"Rally the rest of the Bakemon while they still sleep." SkullSatamon commanded.

The Bakemon bowed and vanished into the wall.

---

Everyone sat dejectedly at the bottom of the stairs. Andromon had yet to finish the repairs to the town systems so they knew they would receive no help from him in the meantime.

They had discovered their current location, File Island. Still it had not brought them any closer to finding their missing teammates. Currently, they had no idea what to do. Sho was busy tending to Shaomon. Sitting around or leaning against the wall summed up their activities.

Sakura on the other hand did not join the group. Instead, she stood by herself in a far corner.

"You okay?" Kazuya asked.

Sakura snapped out of her funk. "Not really." She answered honestly.

Kazuya expected that answer. Sakura had lost more than a teammate; she had lost a member of her family.

"Don't worry, we'll find Chiisi." Kazuya reassured.

Smiling slightly, Sakura mouthed a thank you. She knew Kazuya only wanted to make her feel better, but it was not working.

"You know you shouldn't get her hopes up." Said Jun.

"Jun, you shouldn't be so insensimmffh!" Tsunomon could not finish his scolding, as Jun slapped her hand over his mouth.

"That's enough out of you." Jun murmured.

Sakura's expression returned to its gloomy state. Kazuya turned to Jun with a scowl.

"He's right. Do you mean to be so insensitive or does it just come naturally?" Kazuya asked.

"Look, I'm just trying to think seriously here. We don't know if we'll find Chiisi or DemiDevimon, so that's all." Jun said, crossing her arms defensibly. "Not my problem if you can't handle it."

"You could still be a bit nicer about it." Sho murmured to himself.

From Sho's lap, Shaomon yipped an "Mmm hmm!"

Remembering that she was with (in her mind) a bunch of oversensitive babies, she decided to spark a civil conversation.

"So Kodiro, um question." Said Jun.

"What?" Sakura responded.

"Yeah so, what's the deal with your cousin? Does he live with you or something?" Asked Jun.

Another conversation about Chiisi was her topic of discussion. Jun felt talking about something other than the fact he was missing was a better alternative. Kazuya was about to say something, but Sakura was the first to speak.

"Yep, since he was a baby." Sakura answered.

"A baby?" Jun said in surprise. "Okay, I know there's a story behind that."

Jun moved close and waved her arms to Tsunomon, Sho and Shaomon. "Okay, gather round. Kodiro has to give a story." She said.

Sakura noticed all eyes on her, as the assembled humans and digimon grouped around her like attentive kindergartners.

Kazuya looked at her, as if telling her she did not have to do this. Fairydramon looked up at here with a similar look. Sakura smiled back at both of them and decided to tell. It seemed she had to talk about this detail.

"Well yeah, he's lived with us since he was a baby." Sakura repeated.

"What happened to his parents?" Jun asked.

Kazuya glared at her, but Sakura continued.

"Actually, it's just parent. He's my cousin through my aunt. We don't know who his father is."

Jun gave a little laugh. "So he's a bastard then?"

"Grah! Would you just keep quiet!?" Kazuya screamed.

"Hey, I'm just asking some honest questions!" Jun said, defensively.

"Honest insensitiveness is more like it!" Kazuya retorted.

Both of them started to argue. The usual brand of insults and pointing out character faults ensued.

"Quiet!" The arguing ended just like that. Who stopped it surprised everyone. It was Sakura. Jun was taken aback that a usually meek girl would yell.

"Sorry, I just want to finish." Sakura apologized.

Jun motioned for her to go ahead. Next to him, Gazimon whispered to Kazuya.

"Personally, I thought you had the advantage in the fight." Gazimon whispered.

Kazuya nodded and returned his attention to Sakura. With everyone's undivided attention, Sakura continued to speak.

"My aunt was a terrific woman. She was nice and she even taught me how to swim." Sakura remembered back. "She was a swimmer herself. She practically lived in the water."

Everyone kept a close ear to the tale, particularly Kazuya. He had known Sakura since they both were five. Yet, she had never divulged about her family or Chiisi's parentage this much. As far as he knew, Chiisi was just a cousin who lived with her.

"I remember this one time, she went for a swim and then she-" Sakura's voice and face took on a sad tone.

"I don't mean to be rude I just want to know what your aunt has to do with your cousin. Just asking!" Jun said.

"One day, I visited her and when my parents came to pick me up, my aunt went for a swim." Sakura started again. "Then, she just disappeared."

She could feel the eyes of everyone on her. If she did not have their attention before, then she had it now.

"We searched, but there was no trace of her. Then, a week later, she showed up. Everyone was relieved that she was safe but…" Sakura paused for a moment then summed up a resolve to keep talking.

"She was distant and secluded. She would not tell us where she had been. I may have been very little at the time, but I could tell she had been through some kind of horrible experience. I guess she didn't want to think about it."

Jun kept quiet this time. She was about to again ask the relevance of Chiisi's mother, but she decided to just wait and listen.

"It was hard to see her like this…hard and very sad. Things just got weirder after that. One day she wasn't feeling well, so my parents took her to the doctor and then…..he told her she was pregnant."

"Chiisi!?" Kazuya blurted in surprise.

Sakura nodded, her eyes started to shine but she kept on. "It was strange, but my family decided to deal with it and nine months later Chiisi was born." Sakura continued. Her eyes kept growing shinier and now a glistening formed. "I was happy that I had a little cousin, but then right when he was born, my aunt she…she committed suicide." Sakura choked out.

With a sniffle, she walked right out, Fairydramon following her. Kazuya and Gazimon followed behind leaving Sho, Jun and their digimon the only ones in the room.

"That was morbid." Said Sho.

"I'll say." Jun agreed.

Tsunomon opened his mouth to speak but closed it when Jun glared at him.

"You can speak." She said.

Glad but still hesitant, Tsunomon did just that. "You know Jun you could have been a lot nicer." Tsunomon said. The small horned digimon quickly retracted.

"Like I said, I'm just being me. It's their problem if they can't handle it." Said Jun. "Besides, too much fluff makes me ill."

"Maybe you should apologize." Sho suggested.

Jun groaned. "Fine, I'll do it, but only after they're done out there." She of course was referring to Kazuya and Sakura.

Shaomon hopped from Sho's lap, her ears lowering in sadness. "You have to feel sorry for Chiisi losing his mama like that." Said Shaomon. She then put her front paw to her face as if she was thinking. "But I wonder who his papa was?"

Outside, Sakura stood at the other side of the street. Fairydramon put her claw to her hip in hopes of comforting her. Kazuya spotted her and ran to greet her.

"Sakura!" Kazuya called.

She did not turn back however. She merely stayed where she was.

"Sakura." Kazuya called again, this time softly.

Finally, she turned around. A trail of tears dripped down from both eyes. She looked at him and he at her. Taking her glasses off, she wiped her eyes free.

"Sorry, I just needed to get out." Sakura sniffled.

"You don't have to apologize for anything." Said Kazuya.

She knew he was right, but she felt like an apology needed saying. Kazuya could feel the sadness that clouded over her. Walking over to her, he looked her in the eyes.

"I promise it will be okay…and I don't break promises." Kazuya said, reassuringly.

Sakura put her glasses back on and without warning; she grabbed Kazuya in a hug.

Kazuya was taken aback in surprise. His face turned red but he did not know why exactly. He and Sakura were just friends, he thought. Nevertheless, he returned her hug with one of his own.

"Why did this have to happen?" Sakura asked.

Kazuya shook his head. "I guess its fate. But hey, we'll deal with it. After all, we're the digidestined, right?"

Gazimon and Fairydramon stood beside each other watching this display between their partners. Fairydramon was particularly moved, clasping her claws together and looking on with a dreamy gaze.

"Makes you wish you had someone to embrace, doesn't it?" Gazimon asked suggestively.

Fairydramon frowned. "This is a tender moment, don't spoil it!" She hissed.

---

_She had swum for what seemed like hours but there was still no sign of the coast. She called out for help several times but no reply came. Her arms and legs were growing tired. She did not think she could swim anymore. Just then, she stopped, she could swear there was something under her, something large. Bubbles started to rise a few centimeters away. Her breathing grew hard and heavy from panic. Truly, she had stepped into some sort of twisted nightmare. A loud splash erupted and something rose._

_She screamed the loudest she had ever screamed and looked on at the rising behemoth. She could not see the monster clearly yet she could make out a distinctive squid-like shape with glowing red eyes shining through the fog._

_She wanted to swim away but she was too scared. Then the creature spoke._

"_I need you human." It spoke in a masculine throaty growl. Every hair on her neck stood on end._

"_What are you!?" She managed to blurt out._

_The creature looked around from side to side, and then to her. "I am the lord of this realm." It said. "But I remain a prisoner, confined to it. I desire this realm to flood all others."_

_It raised its arm or rather tentacle and brushed it against her check. The cold slimy feeling sent shivers down her spine. It was not the normal kind of fear but one that could tell she was facing something dark and unholy._

"_Do not fear for you have a great purpose." It spoke again._

_She stayed still looking up at the red orbs. Her short blond hair was a frazzled wet mess._

"_P-purpose?" She stuttered._

"_Yes. I cannot leave this realm nor can my servants." It said._

_She could feel the tentacle slowly sliding around her waist._

"_But with your help a being that can walk other worlds can be created." It hissed._

---

Chiisi shot awake. What was that just now, a dream or a memory? He tried to move his arms and legs but for some reason he couldn't. He looked at his arms and legs to find they were clamped together on a wooden table, which he was lying on. Looking around his surroundings, he surmised that he was still in the same room.

"So you're up now?" A familiar voice asked. Chiisi knew who it was from the rapping of bones.

SkullSatamon walked into view, a few Bakemon flanking him.

"So they were working for you the whole time." Chiisi said, accusingly.

"Not at first. They attacked me just as you initially but I "tamed" them so to speak." SkullSatamon replied. "Now they know who their master is."

Chiisi looked around the room but it was hard to see, since he couldn't move his body.

"Where's DemiDevimon?" He demanded.

"Over here." DemiDevimon answered.

Although Chiisi could not see, DemiDevimon was in a similar situation. A pair of Bakemon held his wings and both of his legs were tied together.

"This is embarrassing." He muttered.

Chiisi struggled to break free but he couldn't even budge.

"I can't believe I actually let my guard down. But then the whole "pretend to be friendly then stab us in the back" routine rears its ugly head." Said Chiisi. "To be honest, I thought you wouldn't fall under that cliché routine."

SkullSatamon did not reply, instead he looked Chiisi over. He placed a bony finger upon his chest.

"Yes, this is a satisfactory area." SkullSatamon noted.

"For what?" Chiisi asked.

The skeleton looked down upon the boy with his bony head. The eyes sparked like little fireflies.

"You're completely unaware of what sleeps within you." SkullSatamon remarked.

Chiisi looked confused. SkullSatamon saw this and decided to enlighten him.

"From the moment I saw you, I sensed a power inside you. This power is pure darkness itself." SkullSatamon revealed.

"Darkness?" Chiisi questioned.

"Yes. I was surprised that a mere human child held so much power." SkullSatamon began to pace around, joints cracking with each step.

"But such power is still untapped, hidden in that tomb of flesh and blood. So I think it needs to be extracted!" SkullSatamon finished, turning back to Chiisi.

Chiisi was not too happy to hear that news. He tried to maintain his demeanor, but the fear could be seen in his eyes.

"I suppose you're asking yourself why I'm going to do this?" SkullSatamon asked.

Chiisi nodded.

"It's simple. I want out of this place. This whole cemetery was drawn in from the Digital World and with your power I and the Bakemon shall be able to escape." Said SkullSatamon.

Chiisi was not convinced this was the whole reason and SkullSatamon sensed that.

"But of course, there's the prospect of having all that dark power at my disposal. I could very well rule the entire Digital World! Megalomaniacal, I know, but it sounds so right. As for you, you can just die after the extraction for all I care." SkullSatamon said, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Over my cold, dead carcass!" DemiDevimon screamed, trying to squirm out of his captor's grasp.

"Oh don't be so alarmed, my brother devil. I too, was once a DemiDevimon and I intend to share that power with all my dark brethren." SkullSatamon said, reassuringly.

Chiisi continued to struggle in his confines, but he knew very well that he would not be able to escape. SkullSatamon loomed over him, making him stop. Raising his staff high, he brought the crystal ball point upon Chiisi's chest. SkullSatamon began to chant in some unknown language. The chant had a rhythm, almost a beat to it.

"Ahh!" Chiisi cried out as sharp pain began to throb in his chest. The pain grew, throbbing increasingly.

"KID!" DemiDevimon screamed. Struggling failed him. He couldn't even summon up a "demi dart." He saw his partner suffering on that table. The only thing he wanted right now was power to kill his enemies and save his partner.

The pain started to subside as Chiisi felt something being moved inside his body. The pain was gone, but now it felt like something was literally being pulled out of his body.

"Grrkkk." Chiisi gritted his teeth, as SkullSatamon began to raise his staff.

As the staff rose, a pulsing black globe trailed behind it.

"AHHHH!" Chiisi screamed, as the globe was pulled out completely.

Breathing heavily, he stared at it, his eyes filling with awe and wonder. SkullSatamon did the same, only his eyes filled with triumph.

"This level of power is incredible!" SkullSatamon mused.

Truly, it was incredible. The power could be felt by everyone in the room. There was no doubt it was pure and concentrated darkness.

Then, something began to happen; the dark orb began to pulsate. The fluctuations started small then became larger and more erratic. SkullSatamon backed away, his awed look disappearing.

Two tendrils shot out from the globe and embedded themselves in Chiisi's chest, causing him to cry out.

Then most surprising of all, the orb began to speak.

"This boy is of my blood, none shall touch him." It said in a demonic guttural voice.

More tendrils shot out, knocking back SkullSatamon and the Bakemon, freeing DemiDevimon in the process. The tendrils moved towards Chiisi cutting through the metal braces that bound him. Lastly, they went to DemiDevimon, cutting the robes that tied his legs.

Now that he was free, he flew to Chiisi. "You alright, kid?" He asked.

"I feel weak." Chiisi replied.

As if drawn by the boy's words, the orb dissolved into a particle mist. It then disappeared into his chest. At that moment, Chiisi felt his energy regain itself.

"I'm okay now." Said Chiisi, hopping off the table.

"You!" Chiisi and DemiDevimon turned to see SkullSatamon sitting on the floor. He almost seemed afraid.

"_That power…it can't be natural…and that voice, there's no doubt it belongs to him. But does that mean..._" SkullSatamon thought.

SkullSatamon's eyes shone with shock. "My god……it _is_ true!" SkullSatamon suddenly exclaimed.

Chiisi and DemiDevimon looked quizzically at SkullSatamon.

"What's he screaming about?" DemiDevimon asked.

SkullSatamon began to laugh, almost as if he were mad. "I can't believe such a thing was possible, ha ha ha! But now it makes sense."

"What are you talking about?" Chiisi demanded.

If SkullSatamon had lips, he would be smirking about now. "Oh, I just realized something about you, but if I told you the truth it would upset you."

"Truth? What truth?" Chiisi asked.

SkullSatamon rose to his feet, holding his staff tightly. "I'll make you a deal. Let me attempt to take that power again and I'll let you go free."

Chiisi thought about it for a moment. The deal proposed to him seemed like a goof prospect. Yet at the same time, he wanted to know the truth about himself. With a resolved look, Chiisi made his decision.

"No deal!" Chiisi shouted.

"What!?" SkullSatamon asked in a shocked voice.

"I want to know the truth about myself. I can't just leave after everything I've seen." Chiisi declared.

SkullSatamon gritted his teeth angrily, clutching his staff so much that it started to shake.

"Don't be a fool boy! You won't be able to handle the truth!" SkullSatamon snapped.

"That might be true, but I still have to know. I'll accept knowledge no matter the price." Chiisi declared with boldness.

With a cry, SkullSatamon charged. His staff outstretched forward like a joust. Before he could reach him, a bright purple light emerged from Chiisi's digivice. At the same time, the symbol of knowledge shone on Chiisi's chest. Chiisi's declaration of searching for knowledge had awakened the other power that dwelt within him, the power of the digicore.

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**" DemiDevimon evolved into his champion form, but the feeling of power did not stop there. He could still feel it rising and he liked it.

"**Devimon super evolve!**" Devimon felt his wings beginning to shift. They slowly came together, forming something long and wavy. His hands and arms began to shrink from large claws to something more human-like.

The power stopped growing and with a cry, he finished. "**Myotismon!**"

Everything in the room went silent as they all looked on Devimon's new form. Where the devil once stood was, to put it simply, a vampire. The wings were completely gone, replaced with a flowing red cape. Instead of the black bodysuit, he was dressed in a fancy blue suit, complete with golden buttons and a similar colored bat emblem lied just below his collar. A pair of gloves and boots held similar symbols. His skin was as pale as the moon and his lips were a reddish hue. A red mask resembling a bat's wings lined his eyes, obscuring part of his face

Chiisi raised his analyzer and pointed it at his digimon.

Myotismon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Undead

Attacks: Grisly Wing, Crimson Lightning, Nightmare Claw

Myotismon looked over his gloved hands. "A little gentlemanly for my taste, but I think it will do." He spoke in his typical threatening voice but with a hint of sophistication.

"Don't bother synching up with me kid, I can kill this guy on my own." Said Myotismon.

SkullSatamon slowly backed away. Raising his staff high, he slammed it against the ground. Bakemon soon emerged from the walls, drawing in on Myotismon.

"This is going to be fun." Myotismon mused.

The Bakemon circled him, looking ready to attack. Smirking evilly, Myotismon made a spinning motion, outstretching his arms.

"Crimson Lightning!" Twin streams of red energy shot out of Myotismon's hands.

He began to whip them around, smacking any Bakemon who came into his sight. The Ghosts stood no chance, as they deleted in an explosion of data. More Bakemon appeared, but Myotismon dispatched them just as quickly. As he killed them, he laughed. The strength, the power, it was intoxicating. Soon the Bakemon were gone. Either they were all deleted or were simply too afraid to attack.

"That was fun, but now it's your turn…brother." Myotismon finished mockingly.

SkullSatamon tried to keep his composure, but he was shocked after seeing all those Bakemon so easily defeated. Myotismon took advantage of that and struck first. Moving quickly, SkullSatamon soared into the air. Myotismon followed, his cape flapping. The both of them nearly reached the ceiling as they exchanged blows. The skeleton with his staff and the vampire with his whips of "Crimson Lightning".

Chiisi watched from below. He did not feel the need to lend his strength to his partner as the others had done to theirs. He could see his digimon was holding his own. Both Ultimates struck matching blows, each one searching for an opening. Just then, Myotismon wrapped one of his whips around SkullSatamon's staff, tossing it aside. SkullSatamon turned to descend after it, but Myotismon knocked him to the ground with a mighty blow. He crashed into the table, breaking it into wooden splinters.

SkullSatamon rolled onto his bony chest. He had to get his staff. As he tried to crawl away, he stopped. He felt something pulling on him, then a sharp pain.

"AAAAGGGGHHH!" SkullSatamon shrieked. The pain was unbearable, but he managed to turn his head, only to see his wings wrapped around the energy whips. Data seeped out of the open wounds on his back. The wings deleted into nothing.

"You bastard! You ripped my wings off!" SkullSatamon shouted.

"Hurt? So will this." Myotismon whipped another stream around SkullSatamon's left leg and another around his waist. Pulling on the whip around the leg, it snapped off just as easily as the wings.

Myotismon grinned as he heard SkullSatamon cry out in pain. The smile grew as he watched SkullSatamon crawl to the wall, managing to hobble up on one foot.

"My my, don't we look pathetic." Said Myotismon.

Myotismon began to walk toward his injured opponent. SkullSatamon looked absolutely terrified.

"Killing you would be so easy, but you know I'm feeling charitable." Said Myotismon.

He stopped in front of SkullSatamon, staring him down.

"I'll give you ten seconds to reach that door and if you do, I'll let you live. Deal?" Myotismon proposed.

SkullSatamon knew he was being mocked, but he would rather live than be deleted.

"Better hurry, the clock is ticking!" Myotismon exclaimed.

Hearing that, SkullSatamon hopped his way to the exit. As he did, Chiisi began to count to himself.

_1…2…3…_

"Come on, you have to move faster than that!" Myotismon yelled.

SkullSatamon hopped faster, nearly tripping.

_4…5…6…_

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Myotismon repeated over and over again.

_7…8…9…_

Hopping faster with each step, he was nearly at the door. Just when he was within arms' length, he fell.

_10._

"Oh, so close!" Said Myotismon. "But times up."

Myotismon's cape fanned out as if he still had wings. He then cupped his hands together.

"Grisly Wing!" At the utterance of those words, hundreds of bats flew out of Myotismon.

The summoned creatures swarmed SkullSatamon. He felt them chip and bite away at his body. He tried to slap them off, but that only aggravated them. The bats soon covered his entire body, his screams growing smaller and smaller until they were gone. The bats returned to their master, leaving nothing behind.

"That was fun." Said Myotismon.

Chiisi looked at the empty spot where SkullSatamon once lied. "Don't you think you overdid it?" He asked.

"Nah." Replied Myotismon.

It was done. They had defeated their enemy. Still, a question remained and Chiisi knew who could answer it.

"We have to go." Said Chiisi.

The boy began to walk to the door. Myotismon never questioned and followed him. The pair walked side by side into the fog. Behind them, the church vanished. It had served its purpose and now it was returned to the Digital World. As they walked, several yellow eyes watched them. Black heads bowed down as Chiisi walked past. They continued to walk past the monoliths and the grassy fields, until they reached a cliff looking over the sea.

"I know you're out there, so just come!" Chiisi shouted out.

No answer came, but a sound grew. The human and the digimon squinted their eyes to see what was coming. The closer it came, the louder it grew. It was a tidal wave. Myotismon shielded his partner with his cape, but the water enveloped them both. When it subsided, it was gone.

---

_She struggled in the tentacle's grasp. The monster chuckled._

"_Don't try to escape, for there is nowhere to go." It spoke._

_Her struggling did not cease, on the contrary, it increased as she desperately beat on the fleshy appendage._

"_Now accept this seed!" The monster screamed._

_What came next was a cry of innocence lost._

---

Chiisi's eyes shot open. Another dream, nothing more. Chiisi looked around, only to find he was not upon land, but under the sea. Panicking briefly, he soon realized that he was breathing perfectly fine.

"Myotismon!" He cried. His digimon was nowhere in sight.

"Do not worry, he is fine." A deep guttural voice spoke.

Chiisi's panic subsided. At last, the one he called had come.

A shape began to form in the water, a large shape. The creature had a distinctive squid-like appearance. Its body was a grayish blue. Further accentuating the squid features, the body itself appeared to be made up of a mass of tentacles. That could easily be said for its left arm, whilst its right was one large tentacle. The shoulders had dark red impressions, almost like eyes, with spiked horns crowing them. The creature's head finished the squid-like resemblance, with a toothy mouth underneath. Strange markings were tattooed on the skin. Around its neck, it wore prayer beads, oddly enough. Red eyes bored down at the young boy.

"Dagomon." Said Chiisi.

"I have been waiting for you, Chiisi. Eleven years, to be precise." Said Dagomon.

Dagomon raised a tentacle and reached out. Chiisi recoiled at the sight of it reaching for him.

"Ah, you look so much like her." Dagomon said, almost with a tone of longing.

Chiisi wondered whom he could have meant, when images of the woman appeared in his head. Then, more images appeared and he started to notice a resemblance to himself and that woman. Both of them had blond, short hair.

"That woman…what was her name?" Asked Chiisi. Although he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

A low chuckle moved its way up from Dagomon's throat. "Minami Kodiro."

Chiisi gasped. That name…he had heard it before…it was the name of his mother!

"Okay, you know something about me and I want to know too!" Chiisi demanded.

There was no holding it back. Dagomon decided to tell him.

"You find comfort here, don't you?" Asked Dagomon.

Chiisi could not help but nod. As much as he hated to admit it. Truthfully, he had a great longing for the sea. Whenever he was at the beach, he would look out beyond the watery horizon. He felt like something was calling him.

"That is because the other half of you is trying to return." Dagomon explained.

"My other half?" Chiisi asked.

"You are not completely human." Dagomon continued. "In truth, in your blood, there are strands of data. However, no human technology would be able to locate it."

Chiisi's eyes widened in fear. "If I'm not completely human, then what am I?" Chiisi asked again, the fear growing in his voice.

The way Dagomon's jaw positioned itself, you could say he was smiling. "Why, digimon of course."

"Digimon?" Chiisi screamed. "But that's impossible! I look human, I don't have a tail or horns or anything!"

"Your digimon half is dormant, but the power you hold is now starting to awaken." Said Dagomon. "Looking at you now, I can say my plan has worked out perfectly."

Chiisi said nothing. He fixated his gaze on the dark monstrosity before him. Seeing this, Dagomon continued.

"This entire realm is under my control, but I remain a prisoner here. I can influence the outside world to a degree and my minions can only enter by using those with darkness laced in their hearts as hosts. Therefore, I surmised that I needed a being capable of traveling both this world and other world's…one that would have no such restrictions. It was a stroke of mere luck that a human woman stumbled upon one of my gates." Dagomon explained.

"Minami, my mother." Chiisi muttered.

Dagomon nodded. "I still remember her emotions of terror. It was delicious. Her fear was great, so I found she would be suitable for a special task." Dagomon stopped for a moment, observing Chiisi's expression. Now it was time to finish it. The last bit of detail Chiisi was waiting to hear.

"The task of carrying my seed." Dagomon finished.

Chiisi felt the air vanish from his lungs as if he had been punched. His seed…then that would mean…

"No! That can't be true! You're lying!" Chiisi screamed.

Dagomon laughed deeply. It was an evil laugh, amused at the tiny, half-human's denial.

"Welcome home, my son." Said Dagomon.

Chiisi looked at his shaking hands with disgust. This explained everything. All his life, he knew he was different from the other children from his family. Now it made sense. He was a wretched spawn of evil.

Curling up into a ball, he sobbed. He let everything out. The calm composed demeaner he had displayed for years finally cracked. His sobs softened when he felt something on his shoulder. He looked up to find it was one of Dagomon's tentacles.

"I know your feelings. Understand that darkness is always despised. If your friends knew the truth, they would turn their backs on you out of fear. However, you can change that. With your help, the darkness can reign supreme. Don't you see? You belong here, among others who will not scorn you for what you are." Said Dagomon.

Moving his tentacle from the boy's shoulder, he now held it out like one would extend a greeting hand. Or in this case…a beckoning hand.

"Come with me, my son and I will teach you." Dagomon beckoned.

Chiisi looked at the tentacle with tear-stained eyes. His mind and will broken, he made the only choice he could think of. He grabbed hold of the tentacle. Dagomon had won. He had him now.

"Now release it. Immerse yourself in darkness. Let its potency overtake you!" Dagomon cried.

Chiisi felt something growing. Slowly, a dark shadow was emerging from his being. Closing his eyes, he let it swallow him.

In all corners of the sea and the dark world, the Digital Deep Ones let out a howl of symphony. Their prince had come.

To be continued…

Finally it is done. I planned this plot twist months ago. At first I was going to leave Chiisi's affinity for darkness without a solid reason. If I remember correctly Kari didn't have any explanation for light. However I decided to change that and added this. If you have any thoughts about this plot twist leave it in a review please. Lets just say from now on things are going to get a little hectic from here on out.

Until next time.


	27. Chapter 27

The sky remained as it was, gray and bleak. Dark clouds loomed overhead bearing an ill omen or in the case of the inhabitants of this world, salvation. The Digital Deep Ones congregated in large groups. The time they had waited for had come.

The groups stopped near a large cliff base. Craning their heads up, they appeared to be awaiting something or someone.

Footsteps against the grass made them all bow their heads in reverence as a hooded figure appeared. Although his face lay concealed under the black cloak, they knew who he was.

"My people, too long has our kind been outcast to this realm. Now, we shall rise up and reclaim our rightful place. Darkness will no longer be feared and hated, for it will be the only truth to all existence!" The figure spoke. His voice was that of a man.

The Deep Ones raised their heads high and howled. The figure smiled beneath his cloak. Drawing an arm, he held out a small black device, a digivice. A black light shone form it, enveloping the assembled army.

"Now I share my darkness, my power with you." The figure said.

"Our prince, we thank you." The Deep Ones chorused.

As they bowed again, the prince of the Dark Ocean smiled. So far, his ascension had gone rather well. After all, it was his birthday.

---

They all left Factorial Town long ago. The digidestined knew they couldn't just stay in one place. Events seem to happen more often when they moved. Besides, they still had two teammates to find. Saying goodbye to Andromon, they had left seeing as the cyborg had the city in his capable hands. Their surroundings had changed from metal to snow as they stepped into a region known as "Freezeland."

The name certainly fit, as there was nothing but ice and snow. Everyone thought it had to be expected as their next location. So far they had been to almost every type of geographical region possible so this was not totally a surprise.

"Yahoo snow!" Tsunomon cried, hopping around. Despite not being a penguin currently, that did not take away his love of the cold.

The round digimon began to roll around, savoring every cold sense that touched his skin. "Oh yeah." He said happily.

"At least you're happy." Said Jun, as a cold wind blew past her legs. She shivered uncomfortably. "I should have worn longer pants."

Jun heard small whimpers behind her. She turned to see Sakura and Fairydramon shivering from the cold winds.

"Hating the skirt now, aren't you?" Jun asked.

Sakura shook her head and so did Fairydramon.

"Say Fairydramon, you're a dragon, so how come you're cold? Don't you have your fire?" Sakura asked.

Fairydramon breathed several small flames in front of her. "It's not helping." She retorted.

Another chill wind nipped at the three girls. The wind had strangely grown colder as they ventured deeper into the winterland. Tsunomon however was not the only one who didn't mind the weather. Kazuya, Sho, and their respective digimon were busy having a snowball fight. Despite the fact neither of them had gloves on, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Got ya!" Gazimon shouted as he lobbed a snowball at Sho and Shaomon.

"Nice shot! You should change your tactics Sho!" Shouted Kazuya. The boy had his goggles down over his eyes, smiling triumphantly. So far, he and his digimon had been winners at this game.

Sho wiped the snow from his face. "Come on Kazuya, your hands have to be numb by now." Sho responded.

"Numbness doesn't stop me." Kazuya said, rubbing his hands together trying to generate heat.

Shaomon hopped in front of her partner, facing him. "Come on Sho-chan! Lets show them what we're made of!" She cried.

Seeing how determined his digimon was, Sho scooped up another snowball and threw it at the opposing team. Shaomon, having no hands, resorted to kicking snow with her back legs. The game went on showing no sign of stopping soon. Then, another cold breeze ran past everyone, this one with more force. Everyone stopped what they were doing.

"I think we should move on now." Kazuya said, going back into responsible leader mode.

The three girls joined the rest of the group. "Bout time you got serious, gogglehead." Said Jun.

The group moved forward, trying to ignore the cold. The wind continued to pick up, growing colder with each step. Again, they attributed it to the weather and nothing more. Yet there was some sort of unnaturality to it, something almost evil.

"There's something strange about this wind!" Sakura shouted amidst the billowing of the wind.

Kazuya turned back, the goggles still over his eyes. "It's probably just bad weather." He answered.

"We've seen some strange things in this world, so how can you just crop it up to bad weather?" Sakura asked, astonished.

She grabbed her skirt as the wind blew under it. Now she was cursing herself for not wearing any pants. If only she had some foresight to the events that would occur, then she would have known to wear heavier clothing. She looked down at her shivering Fairydramon. The cold-blooded digimon was breathing larger flames to sustain heat. Jun, being the tough girl she was, tried to hide her discomfort whilst Tsunomon seemed blissfully happy.

Everyone moved on, trying their best to bear the elements. Sho had drawn his hood all the way up in hopes of beating the cold. Shaomon then stopped. Her fine nose detected something.

"What is it, girl?" Sho asked.

"There's something in the snow." Shaomon growled.

A column of snow suddenly rose, as a figure emerged. The wind and snow made it hard to make it out, but it appeared to be tall, lanky and had two wings.

"Devimon?" Sakura said in disbelief. She started to feel hopeful since Devimon meant Chiisi was near.

The wind and snow died down, revealing the figure was not Devimon, well almost not. The new digimon looked exactly like Devimon, except where the normal Devimon was black, this new Devimon was white. The bat symbols that adorned this type of Devimon were not yellow but a dark blue. A look at the digimon analyzers revealed who this digimon was.

IceDevimon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Fallen Angel

Attacks: Frozen Claw, Tundra Freeze

Sakura felt her heart sink. This was not her cousin's digimon, so his whereabouts remained unknown.

IceDevimon stretched out his bony limbs and wings as if he was awakening.

"I…never….get….tired…of…doing…that. Theatrical…but…I…like…big…openings." Said IceDevimon, commenting on his appearance.

He looked down to see the humans and their digimon. He smiled and licked his lips. "Well, well, well…what…do…we…have…here? A…delectable…display…of…delicacies." IceDevimon said hungrily.

"What!?" Everyone cried in unison. That statement took everyone aback. If they did not know any better, they would have sworn he was going to eat them.

IceDevimon looked at the four digimon and sniffed. "Oh…yes…your…data…is…so…fresh…and…young." IceDevimon sniffed again. "And…I…detect…a…hint…of…spice."

The digimon stood brave and looked ready to fight. Even Tsunomon put on a halfhearted attempt.

IceDevimon turned his attention to the digidestined, looking rather surprised and happy. "Humans! Who…would…have…thought…I…would…find…humans…I…wonder…how…your…data…tastes." Said IceDevimon.

"W-wait a minute, your gonna eat us!?" Jun stammered.

IceDevimon licked his lips again, drooling.

"Oh…yes…but…do…not...be…afraid…of…your…demise…for…your…data…will…become…a…part…of…me." IceDevimon reassured.

"But we don't have data, we're just flesh and bones." Sho tried to reason.

The frozen devil stared at him in thought for a moment.

"I…suppose…I…will…find…out…what...those...taste...like...after all…I…enjoy…trying…new…food." He declared.

"Okay, this guy is getting creepy." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon knelt on all fours, his fur bristling. "Want me to shut him up?" He asked.

Kazuya nodded and looked at the others. They had similar expressions and so did their digimon.

Jun and Sho raised their digivices. IceDevimon noticed this and was rather perplexed when they started to glow.

"**Shaomon evolve! Labramon!**"

"**Tsunomon evolve! Penguinmon!**"

The two rookies joined their companions, ready to fight the frosty menace. Fairydramon was the first to strike. Flames licked her mouth as she prepared to breathe a "Fairy Flame."

IceDevimon grinned and outstretched his claw. "Frozen Claw!" He screamed.

The claw he outstretched glowed with a chilly aura. The aura blew forward like a wind against Fairydramon. Fairydramon's eyes widened as she felt the cold overtake her. She dropped to the ground, frozen in a block of ice.

"Fairydramon!" Sakura yelled.

"My sweet honey!" Gazimon yelled.

IceDecimon licked his claws one by one.

"Flame…digimon…don't…digest…well…but…she…will…be…a…most…lovely…sculpture." Said IceDevimon.

Seeing his beloved like this was infuriating for Gazimon. Although seeing his beloved frozen for all to see her beauty was pleasurable, he would much rather her be free.

"Come on Kazuya! Make me a Champion so I can kick this guy's butt!" Gazimon cried.

Everyone raised their digivices, all of their digimon ready to attack. IceDevimon on the other hand had something else in mind. He began to flap his wings quickly.

"Tundra Freeze!" Icy wind blew from the tattered wings.

Everyone felt the force of the wind. What was he trying to do, freeze them to death? They wondered. They were half-right. A sound, small yet audible could be heard against the windy attack. At first, it sounded like cracking but now it sounded more like something was forming.

Sho was the first to discover what exactly was going on. "Guys! He's freezing the digivices!" He exclaimed.

Everyone looked to see that indeed their digivices were freezing over. As it did, the lights on the screen dimmed.

"The cold is shutting them down!" Shouted Kazuya.

Everyoen tried to acitivate their digivces, even holding them up to influence evolution. But nothing worked.

IceDevimon grinned. He swirled his tongue around, spitting drool everywhere. His meals were completely helpless and he did enjoy a level of fear and helplessness in his meals.

"Hand of Fate!" a bright beam of energy appeared amidst the wind and snow striking IceDevimon. The evil digimon flew back, slamming into a snow pack.

A figure could be seen amidst the wind, walking towards the group. It's shaped appeared human, only with six wings, three on each side. It was almost like an angel. Closer it came and everyone could see that was exactly the case.

Angemon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Angel

Attacks: Hand of Fate, Angel Staff

Angemon's body was covered in a white skin suit with his white wings spreading out from his back. A blue sash suspended under a golden belt buckle hung down. The same colored sash spread out like ribbons between his legs. His left arm was covered with the same colored ribbons, only this time under a golden shoulder pad. Several golden decorations were sewn into the suit, particularly on the legs. Around each wrist he wore a golden ring, each with digicode engraved on it. The lower part of his face was the only thing that resembled a normal human. A silver helmet obscured everything above his nose. Long blond hair hung down from it. In his hand he held a long golden staff.

While the boys looked on, impressed, the girls looked awe stricken and a little enamored. Fairydramon was frozen, so her reaction remained the same and although she looked as enamored and awe stricken as the other girls, Labramon was thinking, "He's cute, but Sho-chan is cuter."

"Are you alright?" Asked Angemon.

Slowly, the wind died down and the surroundings were no longer hidden by the weather.

"Um sure. We're fine. Thanks for helping us out." Kazuya greeted.

"You're welcome. IceDevimon had been a scourge in these lands as of late. I only feel it necessary to help those in need."

"Well I'll say! You totally scrapped him!" Jun said, walking in close to Angemon and looking up at him.

Angemon looked at the spot where IceDevimon had fallen. "I'm afraid I merely chased him off. The weather has died down, but it will pick up again when he returns." Said Angemon.

Angemon's gaze then turned to the frozen Fairydramon. "She was attacked by IceDevimon?" Angemon asked.

"Yes, can you help her?" Sakura asked.

The angel said nothing, raising his staff high. In a swift motion, he brought it down, shattering the ice. Sakura gasped slightly, fearing that Fairydramon would shatter as well. To her relief, Fairydramon was merely trapped. As such, she fell onto the snow.

Beaming happily, Sakura was about to check on her digimon, but Gazimon bolted there before her.

"My sweet Fairydramon are you alright? Speak to me!" Gazimon asked frantically concerned.

Fairydramon wobbly rose to her feet. "Oh I'm Ah-ahh-chooooo!" Fairydarmon sneezed and a large column of fire engulfed Gazimon.

When the flames subsided, they revealed a still living Gazimon, only with singed fur.

"Ow." Gazimon said simply.

Fairydramon moaned putting a claw to her head. She sniffed once then "Ahchoooo!" She sneezed yet again. She turned her head away quickly, only getting the snow. Immediately, it melted into a puddle of warm water.

Fairydramon moaned again, wisps of black smoke rising form her nostrils. She sniffed and the smoke subsided.

"Oh I don't feel good." Fairydramon moaned. Her voice sounded slightly stuffy. The dragon digimon curled up, wrapping her tail around herself.

Not afraid of getting barbequed, Sakura ran over to her digimon. "Sounds like you have a cold." Said Sakura. "If we stay out here it will only get worse."

Beneath his mask, Angemon had a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Follow me. My chapel will provide a safe haven for you." He said.

A chapel was something they did not expect, but chapels were usually associated with sanctuary. So they accepted his offer.

The angel led them through the snow. Everyone except Angemon kept a few paces behind Fairydramon aa she sneezed up a storm.

Trudging through the snow, the digidestined noticed that it began to grow deeper with each step they took. A few complaints (primarily from Jun) arose. But those ended when they reached their destination. The chapel was made entirely of ice, looking like several icicles pressed together. It was very reminiscent of Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Radiance glowed from the icy building that filled everyone with peace.

"We are here." Said Angemon.

Walking up to the steps, Angemon took one of the knockers, banging it against the door. They opened without a creak, as they too were made of ice. Motioning them to follow him, the digidestined entered along with him. As the doors closed shut behind them, a tiny digimon padded up to the group. It looked like a small, white-furred puppy. Around its neck was a golden ring with digicode embedded in it.

"Welcome back Angemon-sama." The puppy replied in a tiny, sweet female voice.

Salamon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Mammal

Attacks: Puppy Howling, Petit Punch

"Greetings Salamon. Have there been any problems while I was away? Angemon asked.

Salamon shook her head. "No, things have been fine my lord." Said Salamon. Her face then took an uncertain look. "Actually, there has been..." She trialed off.

Angemon sighed. "Piddomon?" He asked.

Salamon nodded her head then noticed the group behind him.

"Oh?" She said questionably.

Seeing her turned attention Angemon addressed the group. "I found these humans and digimon outside. They were attacked by IceDevimon."

Salamon shivered upon hearing that name. She stopped then looked at the group as if she were inspecting them.

"Wow, I've never seen humans up close before." She said in awe.

She began to sniff at them curiously. She wrinkled her nose after she sniffed Jun and Penguinmon.

"Eww." She murmured.

Jun shot the puppy and annoyed glance but Salamon didn't see it, she was too busy sniffing Labramon. Then Labramon returned Salamon's sniff with a sniff of her own. The two dogs began to circle each other sniffing each other in their um... well the area dogs sniff each other in. Everyone had wide eyes while Sho seemed a bit embarrassed.

Angemon coughed and Salamon stood to attention, realizing what she was doing.

"Oh I'm sorry, I uh got carried away there." Salamon said, embarrassed. "Right this way please." She said.

Everyone followed her and Angemon down the icy corridor. Despite the interior, the room was not cold in the least. In fact, it was quite warm. Not warm enough to take off a jacket but comfortable enough. It was a great relief to the unfeeling land behind them. The hallway did not stretch very far until they reached another set of doors. Angemon did not knock this time; instead he opened the door himself. A light washed inside. Not blindingly bright but bright enough. The room was made of ice like the rest of the building but furnished with carpets and tapestries depicting various angel digimon. The circular room broke away into four different pathways with a doorway at the end in front of them.

The doors opened up and a female digimon stepped out. Like Angemon, it resembled an angel. She was a lovely woman clad in golden armor covering her arms, legs and chest. Like Angemon she wore a blue sash except this one was decorated with red, green, and gold symbols. Four golden wings spread across her back, complementing her golden appearance. A red turban sat atop her head, with golden blond hair spilling out. Sewn into the turban was an angel wing pendant with a green jewel shining in the center. Two blades were sheathed behind her around a belt. Despite the warrior appearance, green peaceful eyes peered behind a golden mask.

D'Arcmon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Angel

Attacks: Bapteme d'Amour, La Pucille

"D'Arcmon?" Sakura said, perplexed by the name displayed on her digimon analyzer. She had picked up the pattern in the names the digimon shared, but she was curious to know what D'Arc meant.

The angel warrior had her head down. Her expression was serious, that changed as she looked up and saw Angemon.

"Angemon!" She said happily, striding up to him.

All the male digidestined and the male digimon looked on at her (especially Gazimon). Labramon was the only girl who seemed upset. She gritted her teeth as she jealously watched the hormone induced look in Sho's eyes.

Happy as she was to see her fellow angel, D'Arcmon still held a sort of seriousness to her happy look. A seriousness that Angemon quickly perceived.

"D'Arcmon what's wrong?" He asked.

"Piddomon. He's getting carried away again." D'Arcmon replied. An accent was evident in her voice, not heavy but noticeable. It was vaguely French sounding.

His expression grew grim. "Yes Salamon mentioned it to me." Angmeon stood still for a moment before answering again. "Don't worry, I wil attend to it, but in the meantime these humans and digimon need-"

"AAAAACCCHHHOOO!" Fairydramon sneezed, another stream of fire nearly burning Angemon's wings.

D'Arcmon looked over the group. "It was IceDevimon wasn't it?" She asked.

Angemon nodded his head. D'Arcmon breathed with dead seriousness. Regaining her happy composure, she walked up to the group. The hearts of the boys began to beat fast. Labramon gritted and ground her teeth as the jealously sprung up in her the more she looked at Sho.

"Don't worry you are all welcome here. If there is anything you want, feel free to ask." She said sweetly.

Gazimon smiled brightly. "In that case mmfghg!" Kazuya quickly covered his digimon's mouth. There was no doubt to what he would be asking D'Arcmon for.

"Since you asked lady, me and the bird could use a bath and the dog is most likely hungry." Said Jun pointing to Penguinmon and Labramon respectively.

"AAAAHHHCCHHHOOO!" Fairydramon sneezed a powerful flame again, black wisps of smoke rising up from her nostrils.

"Oh and the reptile's sick." Jun added.

D'Arcmon smiled and nodded. "Salamon, please escort the Fairydramon to the sick ward." D'Arcmon ordered nonharshly.

"Whatever you say, D'Arcmon-sama." Salamon said in a bow. "Okay you to follow me." Fairydramon followed the small puppy down one of the adjacent hallways. Sakura followed behind her, concerned for her digimon.

"Hey, wait for me! I want to make sure my honey is okay!" Gazimon called after them. The rabbit digimon bounded after them. Sighing, Kazuya followed the perverted rabbit.

D'Arcmon looked at the remaining humans and digimon. Like Salamon before, she motioned the rest to follow her down another hallway. Alone, Angemon walked up to the doorway at the end, just in the center of the two hallways the others had walked down. Opening them, he entered a pathway just as furnished as the room before. A few digimon, mainly Salamon and Patamon greeted him with respect. He took their praise in stride, not letting it cloud his feelings and mind. He reached another set of doors, then reached out to open them.

"Angemon, my holy brother!" A voice loud and boisterous turned Angemon away from the doors.

Walking up to him was another angel digimon. At first glance he could have been mistaken for an Angemon. However, where there was blue on Angemon there was red on this digimon. Instead of six wings he had two, and the staff he carried at the end had a crescent moon shape atop.

"Piddomon, I was looking for you." Said Angemon. "I expected you would be in the main chapel."

"No, my sermon doesn't start until later, but the lost ones we took in have already congregated." Said Piddomon.

Angemon frowned. "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I've heard some complaints from D'Arcmon."

Piddomon gave a frown of his own. "When doesn't she complain? She's a little too high strung if you know what I mean." Said Piddomon, his smile returning as he chuckled.

Angemon was not amused.

"Look, all I am doing is being a guiding light to these lost souls. You can come to my sermon later to see for yourself. But for now, lets talk about something non work related. Any news on the outside?' Piddomon asked.

"Some humans and digimon were attacked by IceDevimon. They're being attended to as we speak." Angemon answered.

"See? This is what I'm talking about brother!" Piddomon proclaimed loudly. "It's events like this that lead people astray. So that's why I provide a little light in these dark times."

Angemon was about to bring his own argument to Piddomon's proclamation but Piddomon raised his hand.

"I have to go get ready, but I hope you're there for the sermon." Said Piddomon, walking off.

Angemon looked down in disappointment. Opening the doorway, he walked inside.

---

"Ah!" Jun said, as she sank into the hot water. "Now this is living!" She said, happily.

Beside her, Penguinmon sat in a similar tub, only this one was filled with water that was icy cold.

"You said it." Penguinmon replied.

D'Arcmon had led them to the bathing area. Jun and Penguinmon immediately rushed inside, eager to wash themselves off after their events in the Sukamon kingdom. Already, they could feel the filth and grime being washed away. It was bliss.

"I can tell you back home I wouldn't get treatment like this." Said Jun.

"Really?" Penguinmon asked. "Don't you miss your home at all?"

Jun sank deeper into the tub. "What's there to miss?" She asked.

Penguinmon thought for a moment. "Umm well, what about your mother?" He asked.

Jun laughed. "Oh yeah, my mother is so worried about me."

"There you go!" Penguinmon declared happily.

The girl's eyes narrowed and she glared at the bird. "Apparently you don't understand sarcasm." She said.

Penguinmon sank into his own water sadly. "How come you think like that?"

Jun raised herself, crossing her arms over the rim. "My birth wasn't exactly intentional. My mother just met some guy on one of her little jobs and poof nine months later I came along, an unexpected surprise." Jun said coldly.

Penguinmon's eyes showed sadness. He could see the same emotion in his partner's eyes.

"I'm glad you were born." Said Penguinmon.

Expecting a thank you as a response, Penguinmon instead received a squirt of warm water in his eyes. However, he felt good seeing the small smirk on Jun's face.

"Thanks." She replied.

---

Sho sank into the chair. It was comfortable, padded with several stitched cloth. He wasn't sure what it was filled with, feathers or cotton, but it felt good.

A loud slurping attracted Sho's attention. He looked down to see Labramon finishing off a bowl of soup D'Arcmon had given them. Sho had only halfway finished his. Hi mind had drifted to other things. Looking about the room, he saw several digimon. Some were eating soup while others talked with each other. Most of them were rookies but there were a few In-Training and Champions. In fact, a group of In-Training was gathering around D'Arcmon.

"Tell us that story again please!" A Tsunomon asked excitedly, bouncing up and down.

Sho smiled as D'Arcmon happily obliged.

Labramon in particular noticed how her partner was staring at D'Arcmon. Needless to say she did not like that. "Hey Sho-Chan, are you going to finish that?" Labramon asked, hoping to draw his attention towards her.

Sho handed her the bowl. "No, you can have it."

Labramon greedily gulped it down just as fast as she had with her own.

"I want more. Hey, angel lady, can I have more soup!?" Labramon shouted.

"Labramon, don't be so rude." Sho scolded.

Labramon held her head up high, defensively. "I'm hungry! That metal city didn't have any food, so I think I deserve some."

D'Arcmon walked away from the disappointed group of In-Training digimon. Seeing this, Sho got up.

"I'm sorry about my digimon. You don't have to trouble yourself." Sho apologized for his digimon.

Labramon slightly growled with jealousy.

"It's no trouble at all. I will only be a second." D'Arcmon said.

The moment she left, Labramon leapt onto Sho, putting her head to his chest.

"See? She's going to get me more soup, and for now it's just you and me. Everything's perfect now." Said Labramon, sighing happily.

Sho sighed. "Okay, but just one more bowl, alright?" Said Sho, sounding much like a parent.

Pouting in defeat Labramon conceded. "Okay Sho-chan."

The pout disappeared, replaced with a smile. "I'll do whatever you tell me." She sighed happily, nuzzling Sho.

---

Flames spewed forth as Fairydramon gave another loud fiery sneeze. Everyone in the room ducked so to not become crispy fried. The dragoness sniffled.

"It's alright. I think that was the last one." Said Fairydramon.

Everyone got up from the floor. "For now." Kazuya replied.

Gazimon rushed to Fairydramon's bed, cupping his hands together. "Oh my love, if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Fairydramon narrowed her eyes. "How about getting out of my face?" She asked.

Without a word, Gazimon did as he was told. That didn't stop him from looking at his beloved.

Sakura looked sympathetically at her digimon's pathetic condition. She turned down to Salamon.

"Do you have anything that can help her?" She asked.

The little digimon trotted up to a nearby shelf. Opening it, she pulled out a green herb among a pile of others.

"Luckily we get sick travelers all the time." Said Salamon.

Picking up the herb with her mouth (without drooling on it) she hopped on the bed and dropped it in front of Fairydramon.

"Just eat this." Said Salamon.

Wanting to get better as quickly as possible, Fairydramon picked it up and began to chew. Immediately, a bitter and spicy taste hit her taste buds. Her eyes grew in unwelcome surprise.

"Don't spit it out, just swallow it." Salamon said, realizing Fairydramon was about to spit it out.

Reluctantly Fairydramon swallowed. When she was done, she stuck out her tongue in disgust. As she tried to get rid of the traces of the aftertaste in her mouth, she felt something welling up. The fatigue she had felt was slowly washing away.

"I feel wonderful!" Fairydramon announced.

She rose, eager to get out of bed, but Salamon hopped in front of her. "Hold on you still need some more rest."

Although she felt fine, she resigned herself back to her position.

"What kind of herb is that?" Asked Kazuya.

"It's native to this region, so we always go out and pick a few." Replied Salamon.

For a few moments, Fairydramon licked at the lingering aftertaste in her maw then not at all. However, she remained in bed listening to the advice given to her.

"This place is so nice." Commented Sakura.

"Thank you. We at the church of light devote ourselves to helping others." Replied Salamon.

Kazuya remembered that Angemon mentioned this was a chapel, but he did not expect a religion.

"You guys aren't some kind of freaky cult are you?" Kazuya bluntly asked.

"WHAT!?" Salamon exclaimed.

"Kazuya!" Sakura exclaimed.

Kazuya stepped backwards as she glared at him. The light reflected in her glasses obscured her eyes, making her look threatening.

"Hey, I was just asking!" Kazuya defended.

"To answer your question, we are not. We merely worship the digital element of light." Salamon answered.

"Light?" Sakura echoed.

Salamon looked up with a shining look in her eyes. "Yes, one of the traits that make up the Digital World. This place is for those who wish to understand and study it. Others simply come here for refuge which we gladly offer."

"Are you a priestess or something?" Kazuya asked.

Salamon blushed at that comment. "No, no I'm just a mere acolyte. The only real priestess here is D'Arcmon-sama." Salamon sighed.

"I'll say." Gazimon replied with euphoric tones in his voice.

"You really respect her, huh?" Asked Sakura.

"Oh yes! She's a shining example to us all!" Salamon replied.

Sakura's interest had been piqued. The prospect of light seemed to call to her. She didn't know why, but she wanted to know more.

"Hey, if this is a church, do you have sermons?" Asked Sakura.

A reluctant look appeared on Salamon's face. "Yes we do, but lately..." She trailed off.

"Can we see one?" Sakura asked again.

"Oh sure if you want. I think one is starting up soon." Salamon answered but there was still a trace of reluctance in her voice.

"Great! Lead the way." Sakura responded cheerfully.

Salamon hopped off the bed and started to head toward the door. Sakura followed after her, before turning around to address the others.

"Are you guys coming?" She asked.

"Sure, I'll catch up." Kazuya responded.

Gazimon held up his paw. "No, you go ahead. I'll keep Fairydramon company."

Shrugging, Kazuya followed Sakura and Salamon. Kazuya noticed that Sakura seemed happier. Before, she constantly worried about Chiisi's whereabouts. Perplexed as he was by his friend's change in behavior, he followed her.

Now that they were the only two in the room, Gazimon turned to Fairydramon with a sly look in his eyes.

"So now we are alone, my sweet honey." Said Gazimon.

Fairydramon sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh joy." She replied sarcastically.

---

The chapel filled to the brim with digimon of all types. Eagerly awaiting the sermon, they stared up with pleading eyes. Piddomon was happy. The angel lay hidden behind a curtain, overlooking the crowd. In the corner, he could make out Angemon. Unlike the other masses, he looked less enthusiastic. The doors opened up. One of the Salamon acolytes walked in, but behind her there were two humans. Piddomon couldn't believe his eyes. His attention turned to the girl. Something was rather off about her. But he put that out of his mind. It was time for the sermon.

The curtains opened up revealing a vast pipe organ. Stained glass windows of red, green and blue colors lay side by side. Shining atop the organ like a twinkling beacon was a symbol of an eight-sided star. Piddomon stepped up to the podium looking over his adoring crowd. His attention turned yet again to the human girl. He noticed she was looking at the star symbol.

"Welcome my brothers and sisters!" Piddomon said his opening line. "Now carrying off from the last sermon, we were talking about the glories of light."

A hush fell over the crowd, giving him their full attention.

"In the beginning, there was darkness. This darkness threatened to swallow the very fabric of our world." He continued.

The eyes of the crowd grew wide as he spoke.

"But then light drove away the darkness bringing purity back! Can I get an amen!?" Piddomon preached.

"Amen!" The crowd responded.

Piddomon's smile grew grim and serious. "But the darkness has returned, slowly worming its way into our hearts."

Like the preacher mon, the crowds enthusiasm faded into fearful expressions.

"There are those who doubt the light, but that is the trap darkness has set. I implore you my children to not give in!" Piddomon held his staff up high.

"I can see the seeds of darkness growing inside most of you, but fear not! With my healing I can drive them away!"

Piddomon pointed his staff down, pointing it at an Agumon. "You there!"

"Me?" The Agumon responded.

"Yes you, come up here so I may drive the darkness away." Piddomon preached.

The Agumon quickly scurried up to the stage. Wringing his claws together, the orange reptile looked up with the same eager beckoning look amongst the others.

Piddomon raised his staff far to the side. "Darkness be gone!" Piddomon cried smacking the Agumon with his staff. The poor digimon flew a few centimeters sideways.

"Now my brother, do you feel the light!?" Piddomon asked.

The Agumon rose, shaking dizzily. "Oh yes, I see it! Thank you!" He said before collapsing.

The digimon crowd cheered. Piddomon smiled, taking it all in.

"Now whoever wants to be healed, step right up! Together we can beat back the darkness and gain a place among the Homeostasis!" Piddomon fineshed. The crowds cheered even louder.

In there seats, Kazuya and Sakura sat.

"That was different." Said Sakura.

"Just don't expect me to accept any punch from them." Kazuya responded.

Sakura held back a small laugh. Her attention turned to the star symbol at the top of the stage. Piddomon noticed that yet again.

The only digimon that was not cheering was Angemon. D'Arcmon was right; Piddomon had been stepping out of line.

---

IceDevimon sat in the snow licking his wounds (Not literally of course). Those angels were always a constant hindrance in his mealtimes. He kept a sharp eye and ear out for any more passerby's. He sensed movement in the snow. Diving underneath, he followed the trail of voices. His senses were properly attuned to this place...every movement...every sound was his. He had reached the spot and began to make his favored entrance.

The snow erupted as he rose, followed by the screams of the shocked digimon who had so unluckily passed. Before him lay two Biyomon. He could tell one was male while the other was female. He had hunted for a long time so such things came easy to sense. Taking no time to waste, he pinned them down.

"Well….what…do…I…have…here?" Said IceDevimon.

"Please let us go!" The female Biyomon beckoned.

IceDevimon reached down and sniffed her. He licked his lips. A few droplets of spittle hit her beak.

"Oh…I…think…I…know…who…is…the…first…course." IceDevimon mused.

The male Biyomon looked horrified. "No, please you can't! My mate, she's carrying our digitama!" He cried.

A look of pleased surprise appeared upon the frozen visage. Glee filled him.

"Oh…yes…I…do…enjoy…bonuses…in…my…meals…but…don't…worry…you…can…all…be…a…happy…family…within…me." IceDevimon reassured.

He prepared to kill and the two Biyomon awaited their end. A gust of wind blew. IceDevimon turned around to see a ripple in the space behind him. The ripple grew into a black inky mass. A hooded figure instantly stepped out. IceDevimon couldn't make out the face due to the hood, but could make out the faintest traces of blond hair.

"Who…are…you?" IceDevimon asked.

The hooded one did not speak. IceDevimon could tell he was being observed.

"Oh yes. I can feel it inside you." The hooded figure spoke.

"Whatever." IceDevimon responded. He turned back to attend to his meal. His mouth fell down when he found them both gone. He frantically looked around until he saw two pink outlines running away.

He was about to chase after them, but then he felt a pulling feeling in his chest. Against his will, his body turned around, facing the hooded figure. He struggled, trying to move but he didn't budge an inch. IceDevimon felt the hooded one place a hand on his chest. It felt cold to the touch. IceDevimon was used to the cold but something was wrong about this touch.

"You have ingested one of our seeds, but you still have untapped potential." The hooded figure spoke. His hand began to brim with the same murky color of the portal behind him. The color of darkness.

"Let me release it." The hooded figure pressed harder.

IceDevimon froze as he felt the same sensation as could be felt in the hooded figure's palm.

The hooded one released his palm stepping backwards. "Now, go fulfill your potential." He spoke.

IceDevimon looked over himself. He could feel that something about him was different. He bowed to the figure with reverence.

"Yes…my…liege." IceDevimon groveled.

In a gust of wind, he flew off. The hooded one watched him for a moment then turned to the portal. It closed behind him. No longer did he hear the crunching of snow, but the gritty feeling of sand. He stopped just as the tide pulled in.

A human shape rose out of the water, hanging in the air before floating down to the beach shore. Rising up, the figure unfolded its wing-like cape, revealing a Myotismon.

"Come, my friend." The hooded one spoke.

A possessed shine appeared behind the mask of the Myotismon. He gave a deep bow.

"Yes my prince."

To be continued…

From the ashes, I have returned to bring you another chapter. Sorry for the delay but a lot of things have been going on in my life lately. First off, I had to move since the place I was staying at was becoming rather expensive and I couldn't find any work. Therefore, I moved in with family and am now currently looking for work. Of course, I also had to kick out a roommate that wasn't or couldn't contribute to the rent and sell off most of my furniture but those are other stories. Anyway I hope you enjoy.


	28. Chapter 28

Piddomon lavished in his adoring crowd. The sermon had long ended but many digimon still ran up to him asking for "healing." He gladly granted their requests. Shortly, his arms grew tired, so he had to tell the masses he needed time to recharge his "holy powers." Their disappointment in the matter was the least of his concerns. His attention remained fixated on the human girl.

She had watched and listened to his sermon. Perhaps another mind to mold? Yet that didn't seem to apply to her, he thought. More rather it was his gut instinct. It told him there was something about this girl. Whatever it was, he liked it, quite honestly. He walked to her seat, occasionally politely pushing another digimon out of the way. As he arrived, she looked up at him, the light of the room reflecting off her glasses.

"Hello my dear. I take it you enjoyed my sermon?" Piddomon asked.

"Oh y-yes. It was very spirited." She said, slightly surprised by the sudden question.

Piddomon smiled brightly. "Why thank you. It does my dear heart good to know my words bring light to others." A slight scoff made Piddomon frown. Next to the girl was another human, a boy with a pair of goggles on his head.

"So, my young brother, what did you think of my sermon?" Piddomon asked the boy.

The boy motioned with his hand indicating it was "so-so." Not the response Piddomon had hoped, but perhaps this child might need some extra molding. The boy would have to wait. Right now, the girl was the only one he was interested in.

"You know my dear, if you have any questions feel free to come to my chambers for some private lessons." Piddomon walked off. Behind him, an adoring crowd followed.

---

Sakura didn't know what to make of Piddomon's offer. Half of her was tempted to follow while the other half told her to stay.

"Personally, I would stay put." Kazuya offered his opinion.

Sakura knew he would say that. Kazuya had not made his feelings toward Piddomon a secret. He always spoke out of concern for her but maybe there was jealousy too. She couldn't tell.

Honestly, she had never thought about her and Kazuya being a couple, they had been best friends since forever. Yet there were occasional thoughts...just small ones...brief scenarios. There would be a sunset...the two of them holding hands and then leaning in for a... But she blocked that out at the last minute.

"I should at least take up his offer." Sakura stated.

"Why?" Kazuya asked. She looked up to the eight-sided star symbol near the ceiling. Kazuya followed her gaze.

"Let's just say I'm curious." She said and then left.

Kazuya slumped back into his seat. He felt something. He pegged it as anger, but perhaps he was just covering something up. Whatever the case, he didn't like this emotion. He recalled the day Sakura and her now ex-boyfriend became an item. He told her he was happy, in fact, he was the one who told her to talk to him. They still hung out, but he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Of course, he cheated on her and they were through.

Kazuya recalled the beating he gave that creep. Sure, he was sent to the principal's office, but he felt such a feeling of retribution for his friend. At the same time, there was a brief moment of happiness. No, it wasn't anything more, he was just glad he made that jerk sorry he hurt her.

"_Geez I'm making myself sound sadistic._" Kazuya thought to himself. Now there were new thoughts. Thoughts of Sakura and Piddomon played themselves out in his head. The two of them talking...laughing...getting closer leaning in... Kazuya couldn't hold it in any longer.

"PIDDOMON IS A JERK!" The entire room fell silent. Every digimon in the room turned to Kazuya. The goggle- headed teen looked right and then left, then he slowly inched his way towards the door.

---

Oh, it was there, he could see it far off in the distance. IceDevimon imagined how those victims would taste. The flavor of their data made him salivate. Every last one of them would become a part of him and flow through him for all eternity. He didn't know if they were aware after being absorbed. It would have been nice knowing how escape was impossible. Torment always did his icy heart good.

Eating was one matter, but there was another that held his attention. These matters were orders. They were the will of his prince and he would follow them. It would be a good test of his gratitude. This new power coursed through him. Now it was time to test it.

He held out his right arm. The chilly wind blew the snow around. Soft turned hard and snow became ice. IceDevimon smiled, it was time to strike.

---

Sakura stopped in front of the door. Behind her, she thought she heard Kazuya screaming. But she dismissed it as her imagination. Taking a hesitant breath, she knocked at the door. After only two knocks, the door opened up, revealing Piddomon.

"Uh hello?" Sakura spoke. Piddomon looked down, smiling at whom he saw.

"Oh, why hello there my dear!" Sakura felt a tad bit intimidated by the angel. "I-I was wondering if I could..." She started. "You've come for a lesson, haven't you?" Piddomon asked.

"Y-yes well, I just have some questions." Sakura admitted. Without a word, Piddomon pulled her inside.

A large religious display hit her eyes. Just about every form of religion-based objects filled the room. Generally, they consisted of crosses and stars, particularly the same eight-sided star symbol. The very same one she had seen in the church. Piddomon seated himself in a grand looking red chair. He motioned for Sakura to sit in an opposite one. Sakura did so.

"So, my dear lady, you have some questions for me regarding my sermon?" He asked, flashing a smile.

Sakura blushed slightly at the smile. "Yes. I was...well...intrigued by some of the things you said."

She didn't know why she used the word intrigued. Maybe she just wanted to sound more adult in front of one. Piddomon was handsome. Sure, he simply looked like a recolored Angemon, but still he was an angel, the ultimate symbol of goodness and light. When she thought the word light, for some reason her eyes drifted to the star symbol again.

"You're interested in that symbol, I see." Piddomon noticed.

"Yes, it's the symbol of your church, right?" Sakura asked. Piddomon picked up one of the symbols from a dresser mirror.

"It's more than that; it's the symbol of light itself." Light...Sakura remembered that Salamon had mentioned it before. One of the twelve elements of the Digital World, Sakura felt such a strong pull towards it. More so was the entire history of the Digital World. If you were pulled into a strange world, who wouldn't want to learn all about it?

"Who are the homeostasis?" Sakura suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Replied Piddomon.

"You mentioned them in your sermon. Piddomon rose from his chair. He carried himself with an air that told her he had explained this many times before. He enjoyed it every time he told it.

"The homeostasis..." He began with a sigh of contented relief. "They are the beings of light who control the balance of the Digital World. More appropriately, they are connected to the digital element of light. You could say they are the true rulers of this world."

This story was informative for Sakura, but she couldn't help but find some form of sacrilegious content to his words.

"I heard that the Digital World was governed by some digimon called the Harmonious Ones?" Sakura asked.

Piddomon turned serious for a moment. "Those cretins! Rulers?! They sit idly by while darkness overtakes this land. No, only the homeostasis can truly cleanse these lands." Piddomon proclaimed. "And the chosen that follow and bath themselves in the light will be honored by joining the ranks of these great beings." Piddomon's voice grew grave and serious. There was something else in his voice. Sakura could trace it as fanaticism.

She had heard all she needed. "That was very informative, but I really have to go."

She nervously said. Piddomon put on a smile again. "Glad to have been such a trove of information, my dear. Stop by any time." Sakura nodded and left. Alone, Piddomon returned to his thoughts. There was something about that girl he could not shake. But he felt that she would be useful to him yet.

Outside, Sakura had neared the passageway that lead to the upper main hall, when she saw a slumped over red figure. Moving closer she saw who it was.

"Kazuya!" She yelled. He turned over, looking as if he went through a storm. "Never insult religious fanatics." He managed to gasp.

---

Angemon told D'Arcmon of what Piddomon's sermon had contained. This did not surprise her in the least as she had witnessed one before. The fanaticism of the attendees had perturbed her. Being devoted to a religion was nice, but this was bordering on cult- like. Furthermore, he mentioned something that only a few digimon knew about...the Homeostasis. It wasn't the mentioning that was a bother, but the fact of joining their ranks.

"So what should we do?" D'Arcmon asked.

"Put a stop to it, of course." Angemon replied. D'arcmon's mouth frowned in disbelief.

"Easier said than done. Piddomon has quite the little following." Beneath his mask, Angemon raised an eyebrow. "Surely they can't be _that_ devoted to his words?"

"You saw it. If they were willing to let themselves be struck in the head, they would certainly follow him. They are at his beckon and call."

Angemon was at a loss for words. Regret set into his mind. All he wanted was to take in digimon who were lost in these troubled times. He didn't want this happening in his church. Just then, the doors opened up. Two fatigued looking Biyomon stepped inside. "Please help us." The male spoke. In his wing, he carried the other Biyomon, a female. Quickly, the two angels went to their aid.

---

Fairydramon reclined comfortably in her bed sheets. Normally the digimon stood ready. For you see, battle could strike at any time or moment. This was one of the rare occasions where she welcomed relaxation. Normally, she avoided this, not wanting to get complacent or appear lazy. The only excuse for this was recovering from her sickness. The herb she had eaten had helped. However, she still felt traces of lethargic deficiency. Nothing she could do to help. After all, rest was one of the best ways to fight a cold. Only one thing made this moment rather uncomfortable. Ever since sickness had confined her to the bed, Gazimon had stayed by her side.

It was admirable at first but now, she was annoyed. "Must you be here?" She asked.

"I'm not leaving until you are well, my sweet honey." Gazimon replied. "Besides, staring at you is all the joy I need right now." A blush brightened her emerald scales. The comment did annoy her, but not so much as when the journey first began. At that time, any flirtatious comment that came from Gazimon's mouth infuriated her. She didn't know why she felt less of that emotion.

The doors to the room flew open. Salamon immediately turned attentively when she saw it was Angemon and D'arcmon. Close to them were two Biyomon.

"Oh!" Salamon said, surprised.

"Salamon, watch over these two." D'arcmon ordered. Salamon bowed. "Yes of course." The male Biyomon ushered the female, his mate, to a bed. The male turned to the two angels. "Thank you." The angels smiled and walked off to attend to other matters. Religion based matters. The Biyomon settled into her bed, feeling a sense of security.

"You two looked like you went through heck." Gazimon suddenly spoke. The male Biyomon turned to him, surprised by the sudden attention. He hadn't noticed the others in the room.

"Oh yes, we were nearly killed on the way here."

"Was it some frozen devil?" Gazimon asked. The male Biyomon nodded affirmatively.

"That guy nearly did us in, but we got away." Gazimon said with a laced cockiness. The female Biyomon sighed. Gently, she placed a wing to her belly.

"I'm just thankful our child is safe." Gazimon and Fairydramon gave them surprised looks.

"You mean you're...?" Fairydramon began to ask.

The female Biyomon blushed and nodded while her husband flashed a proud look. Gazimon strode over to him and gave him a slap across the back.

"Congratulations!" Gazimon shouted.

"Thanks." Biyomon rubbed the spot where Gazimon slapped him.

"So, when's the little digitama due?" Gazimon asked.

The female Biyomon looked at her belly yet again, this time rubbing it with both wings. "It should emerge any day now. I can sense it."

"Well we're going to have one heck of a celebration when that day comes!" Gazimon proclaimed. The male Biyomon nodded.

"Thank you, but so long as I'm with my mate, I'll be happy." The male responded.

"Oh come on, a little celebrating never hurt anybody." Gazimon counter argued. A chuckle came from the male Biyomon.

The female looked over to Fairydramon, noticing her bedridden condition. "Oh, are you? You know if you don't mind me asking." The bird asked the dragon.

"No, no, I'm just recovering from a cold." Fairydramon flushed at the question. "Personally, I don't think I would be getting into that anytime soon."

She felt a furry arm against hers and turned to see Gazimon holding it firmly. "Don't count yourself short. I'd think you'd make a great mother.

Fairydramon felt like that was a compliment, but she didn't know what to make of the emotions she currently felt. Briskly she took her arm away from Gazimon.

"Just keep your arm off me." She spat.

Gazimon kept a smile as another fantasy played out. Often he imagined Fairydramon (along with other scantily-clothed female digimon) being a part of his own harem. This time, he imagined something new, that of raising a happy little family with his sweet Fairydramon. Salamon sat near the door. The little puppy was confident that things were going to turn out all right.

---

Jun flashed her hair with a contented sigh. The blue strands sparkled with cleanliness. She really needed that bath. The grime of earlier battles and events washed away by soapy goodness no less. In a rare moment, she was actually happy. Penguinmon felt happy for his partner. He hated to see her upset. Whenever she was, he and others always suffered.

Now fully clothed, she decided to seek out somewhere to rest. There was nothing like pulling up a chair after a shower, she always thought. She found a door and opened it. She didn't know where it lead, but she heard voices behind it. Opening it, she saw the room held various digimon. All kinds populated it, but one she immediately recognized. Labramon sat in a begging position trying to bogart another digimon's soup. Turning her eye she saw another familiar face.

"Yo Sanbara!" She called.

Sho immediately turned around upon hearing Jun's voice. Normally, the sound of Jun's voice made Sho cowered in fear. Back at his school that meant a beating, followed by teasing, then a dunk in the toilet. He had been dunked so many times he actually could tell which water tasted differently. No one should have to know that. This time Sho felt no such feeling (well maybe a little).

"Oh, hey Jun." He replied calmly.

Sho noticed her change in demeanor. For as long as he had known her, Jun had always been in a surly disposition. This Jun was different, she actually looked happy.

"So, what's going on with her?" Jun asked, referring to Labramon. Sho sighed in a rather embarrassed tone. "Oh, Labramon's being...well...Labramon."

"Let me guess. After she was done eating, she wanted more?" Jun asked. Sho nodded. Jun chuckled. "Geez, is she ever _not_ hungry?" Jun commented.

"My house is probably the only place that can afford to feed her."

Jun then remembered Sho's wealthy background. "Oh yeah, you're rich, right?"

"Well we're pretty well off, but then again, she might eat us out of house and home." Sho realized.

Jun chuckled again. "Yeah, or become one of those fat and spoiled pets."

Sho laughed, realizing Jun had made a joke. He soon stopped when the mental image of an overweight Labramon glomping him entered his mind. The aftermath of that was not a good picture.

"It's odd, the two of us having a conversation like this, isn't it?" Jun asked. Sho nodded and agreed. Never did he ever expect that he and Jun would ever act civil towards each other.

"Um, are you talking about me?" Labramon had snuck up on the pair after she heard a snippet of her name. Sho rubbed the back of his head thinking of something to say. Smiling, he began to pet the top of Labramon's head.

"Oh, just imagining life at my house with you." Labramon smiled, wagging her tail.

"Oh Sho-chan, I didn't know you were that serious!" Labramon said excitedly.

"Serious?" Sho asked. Labramon immediately flushed and walked backwards.

"Oh, never mind." She giggled.

"That mutt is plain odd." Jun remarked. Penguinmon absorbed the conversation between the two teens. He was about to speak up about Jun's comment when a sudden rumble shook the entire room.

"W-what was that?" Penguinmon fearfully asked (and uttering his first word since he came in with Jun.)

Jun sighed. "Good times don't last."

---

IceDevimon saw the church right in front of him. His army battered away at it continuously. Actually, his children would be the politically correct term. He, after all, had created them. They were beautiful...perhaps this is what fatherly pride felt like. They advanced, hacking and digging deep into the ice walls. The wall slowly broke down and then they were inside! He had given them simple orders, kill anyone they found, but store the data. He wanted the pleasure of absorbing it.

His mouth began to salivate heavily. The feast was coming and soon he would be sated.

---

Angemon and D'arcmon on instinct grabbed their weapons. Tremors were not common in Freezeland. This sudden one had put the two angels on edge. A few icicle pieces of the ceiling fell to the floor. No, this was not a tremor, it was as if something was trying to break through. There was a loud banging on the door. The hinges shook and rattled as a few screws fell out.

Without warning, something broke through the door. It looked like an ice crystal. Angemon and D'arcmon could not see behind the crystal sticking through, but heard a series of shrieks from behind. Several more of the ice crystals broke through, forming larger holes. The door continued to rattle until it finally gave way. The door crashed down, finally giving into the abuse pressed against it.

The door's assailants could now be seen in full view. Like the crystals that had broken through, these creatures were made of ice. Surely, they were not digimon or at least any that had ever been seen. Miniature demons were the best way to describe their appearance. With horns and wings like their bodies made of ice. While their right arms were clawed, their left arms were an entire ice crystal, the same ones that had broken through. The creatures shrieked and squealed with a distinctly violent sound and their red eyes shone like gems. Seeing the angel champions, they attacked. The staff in Angemon's hand began to glow, as did his fist. The staff vanished, melting into his fist. He drew his fist back, charging the holy energy inside. The creatures shambled forward, practically tripping over each other to reach their prey.

"Hand of Fate!" Angemon thrust his fist forward. The energy released into a holy beam of light. The monsters continued to attack, even as the light vaporized them completely. Nothing remained where they had stood. Slowly, Angemon's hand lost its glow and the staff reformed. A few cracks appeared above the ceiling, alerting the pair. The cracks increased until they broke. D'arcmon drew her blades as she saw more of the monsters falling through. D'arcmon did not give them time to reach the ground. Flapping her wings, she flew upwards.

"La Pucille!" Her swords glowed with an energy much like Angemon's fist had done. Instead of releasing energy, she kept it within her sword. In a few quick strokes, the creatures merely became icicle shards. Sheathing her swords, she set down neatly. "That was easy." She remarked.

The victory did not last. Above, a set of squeals echoed from the hole. Angemon looked up, gripping his staff tightly. A thought occurred to him. If these creatures broke through here, then what was stopping them from coming in another room?

"D'arcmon, check on the ones down the hall." He said with authority. D'arcmon knew exactly which room he meant. There was no time to alert the others below or in the other hallway. He braced himself as he heard the sounds of approaching shrieks.

---

"Fairy Flame!" The fire attack spewed forth, melting the creature into a puddle. The strange beings of ice had broken through the roof. Their emergence had caught everyone by surprise. Their appearance gave away their intentions along with the scent of evil that hung off their body. This was what Fairydramon needed. An element of danger was all she needed to bring her body back to its full fighting form. She heaved a steamy breath into the air.

Behind her Gazimon began to clap vigorously. "Wonderful! Absolutely perfect!" He congratulated.

Fairydramon had to admit that was a good shot. It felt so great to be out of that bed. She flapped her wings to test them. They could move so that was a good sign. The male Biyomon stayed close to his mate. He had protectively covered her since those creatures first broke in. Suddenly, the door burst open. Gazimon and Fairydramon braced themselves for another attack.

"D'arcmon-sama!" Salamon shouted happily. It was D'arcmon. The angel did not have time to stop and talk. Her gaze immediately shifted to the large hole in the ceiling.

"Is everyone alright?" D'arcmon asked.

"No problem. My little love muffin took care of it." Gazimon announced proudly. Fairydramon mouthed Gazimon's new amorous phrase.

D'arcmon noticed Fairydramon's renewed condition. Alarm had not been needed, but D'arcmon knew it would not last.

"Stay back. Those creatures could return." D'arcmon warned. "How many are there?" Fairydramon asked.

D'arcmon shook her head. "They just attacked in the main hall."

The female Biyomon sniffled. "I thought we would be safe here." She said sadly. The male put a comforting wing around his wife.

D'arcmon looked at the couple with sadness. "Don't worry. I'll make sure those things do not bring any harm to you or your family."

"D'arcmon-sama, what about the others in the church?" Salamon asked, concerned.

Familiar choruses of shrieks made the angel warrior draw her swords. "There's no time." D'arcmon responded with lament.

The feeling of tension and sadness propagated in the air, the shared feeling of all the digimon in the room. That is to say all those except for two digimon.

"If we can reach our humans than we can help." Fairydramon stated simply.

"What?" D'arcmon asked. Fairydramon saw the confused expressions on their faces. "Our humans have the ability to make us evolve."

Now their expressions changed to shock, disbelief, and confusion. "But that's impossible." Salamon retorted.

Gazimon smirked at the puppy's response. "Hey, don't worry. They're the digidestined after all."

D'arcmon's eyes widened in surprise. "_Digidestined? So the legend is true!_" she thought. She had heard many tales of the Digital World. Some were true and some were just stories. The Digidestined was one that was known to some. A bold claim, but D'arcmon could tell the two rookies were not liars.

"Your humans are below. Just enter the doors through the main hall." D'arcmon directed.

Gazimon and Fairydramon nodded and headed out the door. Gazimon stopped when he noticed the husband Biyomon looking rather scared and timed.

"Hey pal, show some courage!" Gazimon spoke. The Biyomon looked up with a surprised glance.

"I mean, after all, you're going to be a proud papa, so I think you'll want to show some class to your kid when it comes." Gazimon advised. With that said and done, Gazimon left.

The Biyomon blinked then looked at his expectant wife. Lowering his eyes, he realized the rabbit was right. He prepared a "Spiral Twister" as the shrieks grew louder.

Gazimon and Fairydramon ran all the way into the main hall. Behind, they could hear the sounds of swords slashing and ice breaking apart. Not looking back, they reached the center of the building. Before them was a battlefield. Several large groups of the ice monsters had conglomerated inside. Some pouring out of the now numerous holes in the ceiling, while others came out of the open doorway.

Angemon was doing his very best to hold them off. Whether it was a swipe of his staff or a charged "Hand of Fate", the champion held no sign of backing down. Gazimon skidded to a halt.

"What are you doing?" Fairydramon asked.

"He can't hold out forever!" Gazimon responded, noticing that Angemon showed signs of fatigue. Holding his own, the Angel could still not hide the fact that his energy had slowly been draining.

"I know that, but there's nothing we can do right now. We have to reach our partners and the others." Fairydramon reasoned.

Gazimon knew she was right. Nodding in reluctant agreement, Gazimon followed her. They had just reached the door in time. They pushed with all their might, as their diminutive rookie size required greater inertia against it and just managed to open it a crack...but that was enough.

---

Since his pummeling, Kazuya had remained slumped against the wall. His body still ached, but he felt somewhat better. Particularly since Sakura was here.

"So, tell me why they beat you up again?" Sakura asked.

"I told you, those guys are crazy zealots. Dang, I think they loosened a tooth." Said Kazuya.

Sakura was unconvinced at that reason. "Mmm hmm, I suppose you didn't say anything to provoke them?"

He couldn't lie to her. The stare did him in. "Okay fine. I said "Piddomon was a jerk." At that moment a SnowAgumon appeared out of nowhere at the word "jerk" and "Piddomon" in the same sentence.

"Uh, just speaking in the past tense!" Kazuya shouted nervously. The SnowAgumon vanished, pleased with that answer.

Sakura glared at him again, looking ready to deliver a reprimand.

"Come on, did you see that? This is how a cult works! Next thing you know, they'll brainwash us and then bam! Here comes the cyanide punch." Kazuya stated.

Sakura was about to speak in the church's defense when she saw Gazimon and Fairydramon running down the hallway. Both of them looked very worried with urgent expressions on their faces.

"Kazuya, Sakura, you have to come upstairs!" Said Fairydramon.

"Why, what's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"Some freaky monsters have broken in!" Gazimon stated.

"Monsters?" Kazuya repeated.

Gazimon nodded and continued. "Yeah, Angemon's fighting them off."

In no time, they quartet had gone up the stairs and into the main hall. The room was a complete mess. The walls and floors had several cracks and holes in them. The tapestries lay strewn all over, torn and ripped. In the center, Angemon was kneeling, using his staff as a support. Immediately, the group rushed over to him.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked.

Angemon nodded then looked ahead to the door. "I managed to hold them off, but more are still outside. I can feel it."

Before they could do anything, they heard the sounds of footsteps. Everyone turned, expecting another fight, but as they listened and waited, it sounded like shoes, not claws against the floor.

"Hey guys!" Kazuya greeted as he saw it was Sho, Jun and their digimon.

"Okay, someone explain to me what's going on, because we just got attacked by some ice monster things." Said Jun. Clearly she was not in the mood for a hello.

"Yeah, and they didn't taste very good." Labramon said, pouting.

"You ate them?" Gazimon asked, surprised.

Labramon shook her head. "No, they were too big. Also, they were really hard." Labramon said that, sounding rather embarrassed that she couldn't finish a meal.

Now that the group was together again, Kazuya held out his fist with the leader's spark in his eyes. "Okay, it's time for the Digidestined to kick butt!" He proclaimed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his digivice. Strangely, it felt cold to the touch. Looking at it, he could see why. It was still frozen solid from IceDevimon's attack. Everyone else pulled out their digivices to find theirs in the same condition.

"Oh perfect! How are we supposed to do anything now!?" Jun asked.

Labramon perked up her head as an idea bloomed. "Don't worry, I'll handle this!" She announced. She stepped in the center of the group and puffed out her chest, holding her head up high. Closing her eyes, she didn't do anything for a few seconds.

"Cure Liquor." She said, quietly. In front of everyone's eyes, Labramon's body began to sparkle like a rainbow. The sparkle became a glow and from her body, specks of light went from her and enveloped the digivices. Like the dog digimon, they sparkled, then glowed. When the glow died down, the digivices were completely thawed.

"What did you just do?" Sho asked. Labramon panted a bit before she spoke.

"I used my Cure Liquor technique. It can cure just about anything." She explained. Everyone was happy that their digivices were now usable, but Jun and Gazimon looked as if something was bugging them.

"Hey, how come you didn't thaw out our digivices when they got frozen in the first place!?" Jun asked annoyed and angry that their defeat earlier could have been turned into a victory.

"I...uh...." Labramon began.

"Yeah and why didn't you use it when you and I were hungover? Then we wouldn't have had to drink that hot swamp swill." Said Gazimon.

Labramon pawed at the ground. There was a reason that she did not use that miracle ability before. She didn't answer and instead she looked at Sho with sad eyes.

"Actually, the reason is..." She began. But before she could say anything further, a chorus of shrieks came from down the hall.

"It will have to wait." Said Fairydramon. She looked up to her partner and the other digimon did the same. They ran outside, ready to face the monsters ahead.

Angemon rose, still using his staff for balance. "So the legend is true." He murmured. Perhaps this world was not finished yet. That brought him peace of mind.

---

The cold wind blew in their faces and chilled their bodies. The digidestined had forgotten how cold it was. Kazuya and Sho however, were not the least bit affected. Now they were glad they had decided to wear such heavy clothing when summer started. Besides, their choice of clothing did look good.

"I don't see anything." Sho said, drawing his hood up. "Kazuya lowered his goggles over his eyes.

"Don't worry, they just want to surprise us. It's a typical bad guy move." Said Kazuya.

Kazuya's deduction was correct. The snow burst open and the creatures rose. They surrounded them on all sides. Instead of being afraid, they just held up their digivices. Light shone from their screens.

"**Gazimon**!"

"**Labramon**!"

"**Penguinmon**!"

"**Fairydramon**!"

Each of the digimon called out their names. Then, in unison, they spoke together.

"**Evolve**!"

A large glow appeared, or rather, erupted. The creatures shielded themselves, expecting an attack. When they realized they were still standing, they looked on to see four champion digimon.

"**Genkimon**!"

"**Shiisamon**!"

"**Saberdramon**!"

"**Tiamon**!" The digimon announced their names, finishing the evolution.

No orders were given, the digimon knew what they had to do. Immediately they attacked. Saberdramon and Tiamon took to the air. Their flame attacks made quick work of the creatures that were now reduced to puddles. Genkimon and Shiisamon simply just smashed those that got in their way. Genkimon used his swift kicks and punches, while Shiisamon used her paw swipes and bites. Although truthfully, she had attempted to eat the creatures again, but realized she was simply eating frozen water.

"This is too easy." Jun said, cockily. The victory had taken her mind off the cold. Sakura was not convinced.

"I think this is just a warm-up." She was right. Ahead, a large pillar of snow exploded. Amidst the hard wind, a large figure rose out. The creatures stopped moving and rushed to the figure. Slowly, the wind receded.

"IceDevimon!" Kazuya shouted.

The figure was IceDevimon, but not the same one they remembered. This IceDevimon was large, towering over everyone...simply a giant.

"On steroids." Jun added to Kazuya's statement. The ice creatures surrounded IceDevimon, chattering with fear. IceDevimon knelt down, placing his hand out. Slowly, he began to caress them.

"Oh…my…dear…children…did…they…frighten…you?" He asked. His manner of speech showed he was indeed the same IceDevimon from before.

IceDevimon smiled wickedly and held out his hands. The snow began to rise up and formed shapes. Then, the wind began to blow around it, hardening it and making it ice. Shortly, a new gaggle of ice creature arose.

"That's…better." IceDevimon mused.

"So, you were the one behind this!" Kazuya shouted.

"Obviously." Jun murmured.

The icy giant looked up at the group with a hungry grin. "Hello…there…nice…to…see…you…again...little…snacks." He licked his lips while drool trickled down. Everyone recoiled back. His talk of eating them still was creepy.

"Well…my…children…will…tenderize...you…for...me…so…prepare…for…your…inevitable…end…that…is…your…death." IceDevimon drawled.

With a wave of his hand, the ice creatures charged forward, shrieking their war cries. The digimon were quick and charged forward, ready to defend their partners from harm. A rendition of the earlier battle began, however there was a slight difference. Every time the creatures were smashed, IceDevimon reformed them. This continued for a good while. Now it was starting to get repetitive.

"Oh, they just keep coming!" Shiisamon whined. Tiamon looked at IceDevimon.

"If we take him out, this will be over." She then noticed the ice creatures eagerly defending their creator.

"But we can't as long as those things are in the way." She breathed a small flame. Every time they tried to get near IceDevimon, those creatures would impede them. A smash here, a break there, then IceDevimon would just make more. Then with an idea, Genkimon called back to Kazuya.

"Hey Kazuya, how's about cranking the power up a bit?" He called.

Kazuya didn't understand what Genkimon meant at first, but quickly he realized what he was talking about. He held up his digivce and just as he did, the symbol of courage burned on the screen like fire.

"Wha?" IceDevimon blurted as he noticed Genkimon beginning to glow a bright tint of orange.

"**Genkimon super evolve! NeoGenkimon!**"

When the transformation was finished, there stood the Ultimate form of Gazimon. It had been a while since the rabbit had felt such power. It felt good...sort of intoxicating. He punched and kicked the air a bit just to get the feel again. Every digimon gave a sweatdrop...even the humans.

"Don't get cocky, just fight!" Kazuya shouted.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Alright you guys, take care of the small fries why I deal with the big daddy." NeoGenkimon said. With that, NeoGenkimon rushed off, charging into the frozen throng. A few of the little demons attacked him, but he fended them off in a rather over-the-top display.

"Wow, he's so cool!" Saberdramon said in awe.

"He's just showing off." Tiamon noted sardonically. Looking at him however, she did admit something. "But he does look good."

"Aw, sounds like someone has a little crushy-wushy." Shiisamon said, playfully.

Tiamon blushed. "No, it's not that!" She said defensively.

"Can't deny your feelings. I know what it's like to be in love." Shiisamon continued. Tiamon blushed even further, ready to shout out another defense. However, the shrieks of the creatures coming to kill them was a good enough distraction.

"Enough talk, lets just fight!" Tiamon announced. While the three Champions dealt with the lesser threats, the Ultimate dealt with the larger one.

"So…you…evolved…well…you…should…make…for…an…interesting…meal." Said IceDevimon.

NeoGenkimon yawned, unimpressed. "Hey pal, last time I checked, Ultimate was higher than Champion."

Instead of responding, IceDevimon punched the cocky bunny right in the face. The punch actually hurt.

"Ow!" Kazuya shouted from behind.

NeoGenkimon remembered that he and his partner were physically linked in this form. He would have to be more careful. What worried him was the punch. The power behind it felt more like an Ultimate. There was no time to muse on that as IceDevimon began to flap his wings.

"Tundra Freeze!" The shards of ice flew and struck NeoGenkimon. He held his fists up in defense. He could feel his armor starting to freeze over.

"Icy Claw!" NeoGenkimon felt a cold touch against his chest.

His armor protected him but he could feel the chill reach his furred chest underneath. Worse than that he felt slowed. He wasn't frozen completely, but he could be considered close enough to getting there. IceDevimon began to laugh. Certainly, his mealtime would begin soon. He looked up to the remainder of his children and frowned.

The three Champion digimon had managed to destroy nearly all of them. Holding his fist out, the wind and snow molded together, spawning more. To add some final additions, he held his hand out again. Instead of the wind blowing, the ground began to rumble. The snow parted, as thin sinuous tentacles burst out. They were icy tentacles. The tentacles struck forwards, wrapping themselves around the Champions.

"Eww gross!" Shiisamon shouted, as she felt the cold, slimy touch against her.

Saberdramon had a similar reaction while Tiamon tried to burn them off. The ice demons saw their chance and attacked their immobile prey. IceDevimon laughed, amused and pride filled. NeoGenkimon could hear his comrades behind him crying out, as they were struck repeatedly. In the group of Digidestined, Kazuya could feel his digimon's pain. Remembering the link they shared, Kazuya focused his mind. In his head, NeoGenkimon felt a sort of prick in his brain.

"K-Kazuya?" He questioned. "_Don't give up, I'm with you!_" Kazuya's voice rang in his head.

NeoGenkimon knew he couldn't give up. Kazuya's strength combined with his own. The fire burning inside him began to melt his confines. Not in the literal sense as he had no fire attacks. His aura made a good replacement. The sapphire jewel on his chest armor began to glow. As it did, NeoGenkimon's aura burst, making his icy confines shatter. IceDevimon gawked in surprise. He was upset that his meal was free, but even more afraid that his meal was now set ablaze with a sapphire aura.

"Mach Rush!" NeoGenkimon delivered a flurry of punches. The augmented fists connected to IceDevimon's chest and face. Then with a chop, he struck IceDevimon in the head. Then, he kneed him hard in the abdomen. There was loud crack. IceDevimon keeled backwards. As he did, the tentacles fell limp, cracking, then dissolving. The ice creatures stopped and did the same, giving one last combined shriek. Suddenly, the wind died down.

Kneeling down in pain, IceDevimon held his stomach. He gasped, but couldn't get any air to his lungs. A sound came from his throat, something like a "gack!" Then, to NeoGenkimon's disgust, IceDevimon regurgitated a puddle of brownish, yellowish muck. IceDevimon knelt then stopped breathing. His eyes completely blanked as he deleted into the wind.

Another chorus rang out, but this one was of cheers. The digimon and the humans crowded around NeoGenkimon. Feeling proud, he smiled.

"You did it, buddy!" Kazuya commented, slapping his digimon's armor.

"Was there any doubt? Now, about my reward." Said NeoGenkimon.

"Reward?" Kazuya asked.

NeoGenkimon put a hand to his chin. "Yeah, preferably something smokable and a drink of the sake nature." Kazuya sighed. NeoGenkimon looked to Tiamon with an even broader smile. "But a kiss would be just as good." He said, almost begging.

Tiamon growled. "Oh, I'll give you a kiss." She snapped.

"Hey, I saw you blushing earlier!" Shiisamon spoke up.

Tiamon looked at her golden furred compatriot. "You keep quiet!" She ordered. Giggles came all around, but that changed when they noticed movement coming from the vomit. From the mess, a small black creature poked out. It looked like a tadpole, a creature they all knew too well. These things had appeared behind every fallen digimon, a replacement for the viral infected digimon that they had faced on Folder. Usually these parasites would delete, but something prevented that.

A large gust of wind blasted the area. For a moment, everyone thought that IceDevimon had returned. Instead, a small ripple in space appeared, then tore itself open. Something that can only be described as a portal was now in front of them. Behind it, there was nothing but blackness. The tadpole creature squeaked in delight and worked its way to the portal. It felt rejuvenated, no longer needing a host. Instead of crawling all the way, it simply floated into the air and zipped inside, as if a magnet had drawn it.

All the digimon felt a sense of nervousness from that portal. They knew what world lay behind that portal. The distinct sense of darkness told them. No one seemed willing to step through, save for one.

"Sakura, what are you doing!?" Kazuya exclaimed, as he grabbed his friend, preventing her from jumping in. She looked to him with intent seriousness. "Chiisi is in there, I know it!"

"Okay, maybe you're right, but you could be wrong. Should we really risk that?" Kazuya asked.

A tough question. Either jump into a portal leading to certain death, and maybe to Chiisi...or not jump in and possibly never find him. The answer wasn't tough for Sakura. Grabbing her hand from Kazuya's grip, she decided to take her chance. Right when she neared, the portal swallowed her.

"Sakura!" Kazuya and Tiamon both yelled. The dragon was the next to go, immediately rushing inside and practically knocking every one down. The portal swallowed her as well. Her large size in comparison to the portal did not matter. She was simply sucked in.

Two of their friends had just stepped into a dark portal. Their first instinct was to join them, but part of their brains told them that would not a good idea.

"I'm going." Said Jun.

"Jun, you can't go in there, it's dangerous." Saberdramon warned. "And scary."

"Hey, you can stay if you want, but I aint leaving Kodiro and Tiamon alone in there." Jun stated.

The girl stepped up to the portal, not caring as it sucked her in. Saberdramon gulped and walked over. With reluctance, he put his wing to the portal slowly, then nearly screamed as he felt himself being sucked inside. Kazuya and NeoGenkimon were the next to follow. Kazuya had his leadership to uphold and NeoGenkimon had to follow his beloved. Now alone, Sho racked his brain at what to do.

"Do I go or stay?" He asked himself.

He groaned then made up his mind. "I'm coming too!" He shouted, leaping into the portal. Shiisamon loyally followed her parter. As she was sucked inside, the portal closed. Its final guest had answered the invitation.

---

Sho and Shiisamon couldn't explain the sensation they felt as they stepped through the portal. However, the feeling was gone now, whatever it was. They felt the ground beneath them and just ahead was everyone else.

"Bout time you two got here." Jun joked.

The world was as the same as when they had left. Gray skies and grey everything. It was a wide-open trail. Looking around, they could see architecture for miles. At least it wasn't the evil hotel, yet this place unsettled everyone...everyone except NeoGenkimon. NeoGenkimon immediately began to search, hoping he could find what he wanted.

"We're here to find Chiisi and DemiDevimon, not your oral fixation." Kazuya scolded.

NeoGenkimon pouted, but he knew he was right. Sakura was the first to start looking around. She didn't know exactly where, but she could feel he was here. Something inside her told her. Kazuya saw her panicked expression.

"Calm down." He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm worried too, but you can't panic." Kazuya said. Sakura put her hand on his, understanding. Worried as she was, finding Chiisi required a good head on her shoulders.

The first action was to check the digivices. If Chiisi was here, then his digivice would show up on the screen. They began to walk but no beep sounded, not even a colored blip. Just when they were about to give up hope, there was a sound.

"_Beep!_"

Looking at their digivices, they saw a black blip on their screens. A black blip meant a black digivice, and the only person they knew who had a black digivice was Chiisi.

"He is here! I knew it!" Sakura cried happily. The girl immediately ran towards the direction of the blip.

"Sakura, wait!" Tiamon called after her. Everyone followed her, all eager to be reunited with their lost teammates. Surely now, the digidestined would be back in business. In the distance, Sakura saw a black figure. Surely, that was her cousin. Getting closer, she stopped. The figure was clad in a black cloak or cape. His face was concealed beneath a hood, the darkness of this place did not help give away his physical features.

Everyone caught up with Sakura and stopped at the figure before them. They all knew he was looking at them.

"Who is this guy?" Sho asked.

Shiisamon sniffed the air. The scent was familiar, but it couldn't be who she thought it was. Another scent hung off it...a scent that made her growl.

"So, you've come." The figure spoke, the voice clearly pointing out that he was an adult male. The cloaked man parted his garment, revealing his underclothes. It was black just like the rest, but what caught their attention was the black beeping object around his belt. It was a digivice.

"Okay pal, where did you get that!?" Kazuya demanded. Underneath, the man continued to stare, not even a smile crossed his face.

"My Kazuya, always to the point, aren't you?"

"How did you know my name?" Kazuya asked. Sakura stepped forward a little. She looked into the darkness the hood made. Again, the feeling was telling her something.

"It can't be." She started to speak. Whatever this feeling was telling her, she didn't want it to be true. "Chiisi." She said. It wasn't a question.

"What!?" She heard the collective cry from everyone. The cloaked man still stared ahead. "Nothing gets past you, does it, cousin?"

The man pulled his cloak down. What lay under was a young man possibly in his late teens or maybe early twenties. His forehead and his face had strange markings. Almost tattoo-like and a yellow-orangish color. The blond hair just slightly longer in length, and the eyes, devoid of light, but the same color as they had known, suspended their disbelief.

"Wait a minute, that's Chiisi!" Jun exclaimed. "But how!?" Sho exclaimed. The man felt some amusement at this, but showed no emotion. He had expected them to be surprised. Surprises however, were not meant to last.

"Yes, it is I." Chiisi revealed.

Sakura was both happy and afraid. Her cousin was all right, but he was different. Not just in body, but also in spirit she could tell. "Chiisi, what happened to you?" She asked, her concern for her cousin's safety far outweighing her shock at his changed appearance.

"Oh, I've just realized my true heritage." Chiisi began. A figure out of nowhere descended, landing next to the man. Unveiling his cape showed he was a vampire, and a regally dressed one at that.

Chiisi saw his cousin was about to ask a question. "To answer you, this is DemiDevimon or rather his Ultimate form." Chiisi turned to his partner. "Myotismon, I think I will synch up with you. I want to participate as well."

Myotismon bowed his head. "As you wish, my prince."

The undead digimon lunged forward. Sakura simply stood there, uncertain of how to take this. Her mind froze in complete disbelief.

"Sakura, get out of the way!" Tiamon dove in front, taking the hit. She groaned as she attempted to stand her ground. The dramon slumped to the ground "Tiamon." Sakura said, quietly.

"That's it, I don't care if we _are_ teammates, no one touches my sweet honey like that!" NeoGenkimon yelled. "Mach Rush!" NeoGenkimon charged up his aura and sped towards the vampire. Myotismon flew upwards and NeoGenkimon followed. A flurry of punches came from the armored digimon. Swiftly, Myotismon dodged. At a normal level of power, he most likely would have been hit, but the sync with his partner increased his speed. He could feel him and vice-versa.

"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon struck him with the bloody energy whips. NeoGenkimon was taken aback by the blows. Below, Kazuya collapsed in pain.

"He's as strong as NeoGenkimon." Kazuya groaned. The pain then stopped. NeoGenkimon looked around to find Myotismon missing.

"Where did he go?" NeoGenkimon asked himself. "Behind you!" Kazuya screamed. NeoGenkimon craned his head just about only to feel pressure against his throat. Myotismon smiled as he tightened the grip of his whips.

"Don't worry, it will all be over soon." Myotismon whispered. Grabbing tightly on the whip, he started to swing NeoGenkimon around. At last, he let go, releasing the whip. NeoGenkimon flew down to the ground before crashing into it. He didn't move. Kazuya felt the connection abruptly stop.

"He beat NeoGenkimon." Sho shuddered.

Both he, Jun, and their respective digimon had not gotten a close up of NeoGenkimon the first time Gazimon reached Ultimate. Seeing him back at the fight with IceDevimon was impressive, but now watching him go down like that perturbed them. The only other Ultimate they had ever encountered was SkullMeramon, but this was one of their own attacking them.

"Guess it's up to us, then!" Jun boldly said. Shiisamon, Saberdramon, and Tiamon stood ready for the next step in evolution.

"**Shiisamon super evolve! Cerberusmon!**"

"**Saberdramon super evolve! Parrotmon!**"

"**Tiamon super evol-**oh wait."

Tiamon rmemeberd she had yet to reach Ultimate. Cerberusmon and Parrotmon stood battle ready, now exposed to all besides their own partners.

"Wow, never pictured the mutt turning into that." Jun noted.

"Same goes for Penguinmon, but I just don't get a flightless bird turning into a flyer." Sho quipped. Opinions aside, the two Ultimates ran and flew towards Myotismon. Tiamon joined despite her pain and the jealousy she felt towards her friends.

"Sorry, but I can't let you hurt Sho-chan. Mad Dog Fire!" The emerald flames poured out of her maw.

"Mjolnir Thunder!" Parrotmon released his own electric attack. He felt some hesitance, but he would not allow any harm to come to Jun, no matter who it was.

Both attacks hit Myotismon. There was no cry of pain. Myotismon wrapped his cape around himself, almost forming a protective layer. During the fight, Chiisi's gaze lay fixated on Myotismon. He could feel the flame that burned and the electricity that crackled around his digimon's body. His mind was connected, indeed sharing his power with him. There was another power he shared that went beyond the bond between human and digimon.

"Power of darkness." Chiisi whispered. He glowed with a black aura and so did Myotismon.

With a flap of his wing-like cape, Myotismon parted the flames and electricity into nothing. "Grisly Wing!" Myotismon cupped his hand, summoning hundreds of bats that swarmed around Cerberusmon and Parrotmon. They pecked and bit at them, draining every last bit of their energy. "Crimson Lightning!" Cerberusmon looked up to see the energy whip wrap around her neck much like it had done with NeoGenkimon.

"You both were holding back. If you intend to fight, then don't insult me." Myotismon hissed angrily. Feeling another whip wrap around her leg, Cerberusmon fell to her side. The pain from the bat bites was increased by another pain. That of Myotismon's boot kicking into her stomach.

"Leave her alone!" Parrotmon yelled, trying tto free Cerbusmon. Myotismon thrust his hand towards the oncoming parrot.

"Grisly Wing!" Another blast of bats swarmed Parrotmon. The winged digimon did his best to fend them off, but he collapsed in defeat. His body shrank into the beaten form of Penguinmon.

Myotismon gripped his whip tightly, holding it around Cerberusmon's neck. Chiisi mimicked the hand motion. Both human and digimon let go and Cerberusmon devolved back into Labramon.

"Graah!" Myotismon turned to see Tiamon lunging towards him."Ember Claw!" Her fist powered up with the flame, striking Myotismon to the side. The vampire rebounded and responded with a kick to the dragon's head. She cried out, then collapsed back into Fairydramon.

"Pathetic." Chiisi and Myotismon said in unison. Myotismon strolled over to finish Fairydramon off when he heard a cry.

"Chi Fist!" NeoGenkimon flew towards him, his armored right arm set ablaze with the sapphire aura. Myotismon smirked and quickly thought of a move.

"Nightmare Claw!" A thin, black, translucent entity emerged, rushing into NeoGenkimon.

"What the?" NeoGenkimon felt his body stiffen. It was different from when he was frozen by IceDevimon. His entire mind felt like it was closing. His whole body turned black and fell limp. The battle was done.

Everyone wanted to cry out and run to their partners like per normal a battle they had lost, but this battle was not the normal kind of battle. They all just froze at what had happened, more in particular, Sakura. She could only look at her cousin, no...what was once her cousin.

"My prince, is that all?" Myotismon bowed to Chiisi.

"Yes. Dispose of them."

Sakura felt tears run out of her eyes. "Chiisi." She said again. Myotismon prepared to launch a "Grisly Wing" as per his partner's orders. He started to utter the words when a bright flash lit up the area. It blinded both Chiisi and Myotismon and when it departed, everyone was gone, except themselves.

Chiisi was surprised, but not angry. "Well, that was an interesting turn." He said, nonchalantly.

"You sound calm." Said Myotismon. Chiisi shrugged.

"They got away, nothing can be done about that." Chiisi didn't say anything. He was certain he had cast off his past humanity indefinitely. He kept telling himself that as his cousin's image remained burned in his head.

"Goodbye Sakura."

---

Piddomon sat at his desk, keeping to his own thoughts. He stepped upstairs to find a mess. Angemon had filled him in on what had transpired. He smiled, for this was what his masses needed. Fear to inspire faith. He was disappointed that the girl was gone. She and the other humans had left and had not been seen since. The aura of light came from that girl. She would be the key to his achievement of enlightenment. Now, all that was required was to find that aura. He prepared himself for the ritual. Not one of darkness, but of light. To him, the ultimate element. The perfect one.

---

Maia sat idly, watching what had transpired. Pulling her hood over her head, she rose and started to walk. She had broken one of the rules and had to answer to the Harmonious Ones. She felt no shame in what she did. If she had not intervened, then the digidestined would have been killed, along with their digimon. Events had been disturbing in recent turns. One of them had even been broken and reformed through corruption of the spirit. His digimon had followed in suit.

To her, this was excuse enough to provide their escape. She just hoped they would understand.

To be continued…

Sorry this took so long to upload. But writing while fighting depression is not a good thing. I managed to cheer up to finish this so I hope you enjoy. Any comments on this chapter feel free to write.


	29. Chapter 29

The path to the Harmonious Ones was nothing short of impressive. It was a blinding white pathway with a white door at the end. Plain as it was, it gave off an ambiance of brilliance and goodness that filled the soul and mind. Maia walked forward and stopped in front of the doors. It was her own personal pathway to the Digital Worlds guardian's gods, but she felt hesitation. She took a breath and opened the door.

From the white pathway, the doors opened up into a rocky hill. The sky above was a dark shade of blue, like night just casting off the last rays of the dawn. "Step forward!" A commanding voice said. Maia did as she was told and stopped at the cliff edge. In the distance, four shapes appeared. The shadowed shapes grew larger as the digimon approached. Standing and floating before her was a dragon, a turtle, a tiger, and a phoenix.

Each of them had a grand appearance. The dragon was a shade of blue, a cloudy celestial substance with chains surrounded its long, snake-like body. A long wispy beard hung down and a helmeted horned crest like a lighting bolt adorned his face. He was Azulongmon of the east.

The turtle looked just about the same as a normal turtle, shell, tail, and all, but instead of one head, two craned out of the shell that strangely had a large tree sprouting out of it. Each head looked around the area showing off a wise gleam. He was Ebonwumon of the north.

The Tiger was a strong, sturdy creature. He was well built, with fierce claws poking out of its front and back legs. His fur was the color of steel with the usual stripes belonging to creatures of the order felidae. He was Baihumon of the west.

Lastly, the phoenix had feathers the color of flame. He had six wings which were neatly folded to his side. The spark in his eyes showed a bit of impatience and a will to act. He was Zhuqiaomon of the south.

Different as they were, all of them shared two features. Instead of two, they each had four eyes. In Ebonwumon's case, he had two for each head. Several glowing balls hung from or around their bodies. They were no ordinary balls, however for they were the nuclease of power known as digicores. Maia held her face in a permanent state of seriousness. Impressive as these beings in all their glory were, she was used to dealing with deities of this level.

Zhuqiaomon turned his gaze to Maia. "We are here to discuss your recent crime."

"Crime?" Maia repeated. "Yes, you helped the digidestined and disrupted the balance of this world." Zhuqiaomon continued. Maia was aghast. "Disrupted!? I was simply ensuring this world survives!" Maia yelled defensively.

"But as you know, as guardians of this world we merely must defend the balance, not interfere directly with the actions of the inhabitants below." Baihumon added.

Maia straightened herself, keeping her composure as best she could. "Well aren't you the guardians of this world?"

Ebonwumon craned one of his heads in the direction of the girl. "Yes that's true, but if we interfered, the inhabitants would be coming to us for every little problem." One of Ebonwumon's heads stated. "Yep, then they would turn into a bunch of helpless mon, they would." The other head quipped.

"Regardless, those children are the only hope the Digital World has. Furthermore, one of their own has become tainted. It was a dire circumstance!" Maia argued.

Zhuqiaomon ruffled his feathers, making him look even angrier then his demeanor already did. "More to the point, humans are dangerous and destructive! I don't understand why the homeostasis resigned this world's protection to human children, particularly one of Dagomon's blood."

"The boy was swayed by the powers of darkness. He was too weak to resist." Maia replied defensively.

Azulongmon had remained silent throughout the entire meeting. He cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention, and they all looked at him. "My brothers, the data child known as Maia has committed an offense on our part. The higher powers of the Digital World may not directly interfere with the fates of the Digital World's inhabitants, human or not."

Maia looked up, while Zhuqiaomon resigned himself, looking eager to exact a proper punishment. "But like her, we too are responsible for maintaining the balance of the Digital World. Darkness and light are always at odds with each other. If the Digidestined had not been rescued, than darkness would overrun it. So in essence, Maia has done just that. Lest we not remember our creator stepped in to seal the evil one away." All four gods looked to the center space as if something belonged there.

"You do make a point there Azulongmon." Ebonwumon's left head said. "Yep makes a point he does." The other head quipped.

Baihumon looked to the two Harmonious Ones. He looked unsure of what to say, like an indecisive child almost. "Perhaps you are correct. I say we rescind the action of punishment." Baihumon agreed.

Zhuqiaomon flapped his wings, ruffling he feather again. "Inconceivable!" He screeched. "Fine, but when the world comes crumbling down, you'll have wished that this human sympathizer received what she deserved!" With that, the phoenix flew off.

Maia bowed to the remaining digimon with respect. "I thank you." She turned around and left the room just as the other Harmonious Ones vanished to calm down their (most likely) infuriated brother.

Maia was glad that went well, for the most part. She expected that reaction from Zhuqiaomon. The easily angered bird didn't think so highly of humans, finding them a filthy, evil race. Azulongmon being on her side was something she did expect. The azure dragon was more or less the leader of the quartet. Baihumon and Ebonwumon both young and old in order of hatching seemed undecided in Zhuqiaomon's decree, but their belief in maintaining this world's order pulled them to Azulongmon's words. Narrowly escaping possible deletion, she just hoped the children had been just as lucky.

---

Kazuya groaned as he awoke. He hadn't counted how many times this had happened, but he knew it was a lot...too many for his taste. It was redundant being teleported away and dropped in some unknown location. Like all the other times, he got up. Adjusting himself, he looked to see that everyone else was just waking up.

"Hey guys!" He called. Everyone rose faster, hearing their leader. "I'm getting really sick of this." Jun commented. She swayed a bit as she arose. "Dang, those bats really drained me. What did he call that attack?" Penguinmon waddled up to her, swaying as much as his partner. " "Grisly Wing" I think he called it."

Jun rubbed her arm, remembering the pain she and Penguinmon shared from the attack. "Grisly? More like a "Night Raid." " Jun remarked.

Sho was the next to rise, but not before giving a small whine of pain. He rubbed his chest. Labramon remembered how Myotismon had painfully kicked her. "Sho-chan, are you okay?" She asked. Sho rubbed his sore spot and smiled. "I'll live." The boy moved his hand and felt something. He looked to see he was touching a large grey object...a body. Recoiling in surprise, he rose (painfully) and saw it was someone familiar.

"NeoGenkimon!" Kazuya had forgotten about him. The digimon was still colored grey from the paralyzing attack performed on him. Kazuya rushed to his digimon, and tried to shake him awake. "Come on, man. Speak to me!"

Kazuya's shakes and shouting didn't even cause a stir. To Kazuya, it was extremely unsettling to see his partner in this color-drained state. He turned around, hoping to find that his friends had any suggestions. His eyes immediately met the glassed face of Sakura. Kazuya realized that he had completely forgotten about her. He was being rather forgetful today, but that was to be expected after being warped from one place to the next without warning.

Kazuya immediately noticed Sakura's look. Like his digimon, it was like the very life had been drained from her. Except it was only her face, and not her whole body. Fairydramon immediately flew by and landed on NeoGenkimon's chest. "His heart's still beating." She said. Concern and worry was evident in her voice. "Essentially, he's alive, but unless something is done, he'll probably stay like this."

All eyes immediately turned to Labramon. "What?" She asked. "Labramon, use your "Cure Beer" or whatever it was called." Said Kazuya. "It was Cure Liquor, actually." Labramon corrected. "Oh yeah, so come on, please. You're probably the only one who can help him." Kazuya pleaded.

Labramon shifted her paws uncomfortably. She didn't want to use this particular technique for reason only she knew, but she couldn't leave a friend in a condition like this. What else could they do, carry him? Sighing, she walked over to NeoGenkimon. Closing her eyes and puffing out her chest with her head held high, she said, "Cure Liquor." The rainbow colored particles flowed from her glowing body and onto NeoGenkimon. Slowly, the gray washed away into color. Then, instantly his body glowed, shrinking back into Gazimon.

Kazuya and Sho each ran to their partners. Kazuya, because he was happy his partner was okay and Sho because his had just collapsed. Sho shook her, wincing at his own pain, but unconcerned with it. Labramon raised her head and smiled, giving Sho a lick across the cheek. She was fine.

Gazimon immediately bolted up. "Where is he?!" He asked frantically. "Relax, we're safe." Kazuya reassured. Gazimon looked around and saw that Kazuya was correct. Then, he looked at himself, noticing he was Gazimon. "How come I didn't turn into Pagumon?" He asked. Labramon and Penguinmon had the same question. The last time they turned into Ultimates, they regressed into their In-Training forms.

"Maybe your bodies are used to the transformations now." Sho theorized. That sounded reasonable enough, so they accepted it. Silence encompassed the moment, as no one knew what to say. The last series of events had come at them like a train. No one felt this more than Sakura.

"Okay, if no one is going to speak, then I'll say it. That sucked." Said Jun. "I Just didn't think Chiisi would turn into a traitor."

"Chiisi is not a traitor!" Sakura shouted, speaking up for the first time. "Then what do you call that?!" Jun tersely asked. "He gets a growth spurt and then orders his digimon to kill us!" Sakura lost her words for the moment, not sure of what to say. She didn't like thinking about that moment. But it happened and it was on everyone's mind.

"Why did Myotismon call him "my prince"? Sho asked. "I don't think it was a term of endearment."

"So what, the kid is royalty?" Jun asked, albeit jokingly. No one had a response to that. There was a lot of questions and doubt, but Kazuya at last spoke his opinions. "Look, Chiisi is not a traitor." He simply stated. "I've known him long enough."

"Easy for you to say. Sanbara and I only met the kid at summer camp." Jun replied. Kazuya looked to the girl, ready to deliver his own smarmy comment. But he changed, seeing as the moment did not need that kind of response. "Chiisi is one of us, a digidestined. And I'm not going to leave a teammate behind." Kazuya said affirmatively.

Gazimon stood by his partner with the same look. "I'm with ya, even though he nearly killed me. Myotismon's still DemiDevimon." The humans blinked while the digimon shared their thoughts. "Gazimon and Kazuya are right! They're our buddies, we can't just forget about them!" Labramon yipped.

"Well, I guess." Penguinmon agreed.

Fairydramon looked at Sakura. Her expression still looked melancholy and depressed. "I agree with Kazuya." She simply stated. "No matter what has happened to our teammates, it's our duty to bring them back to their senses."

Kazuya smiled his typical smile of accomplishment. "All right then, let's move out! The only other option is to find out where we are." Despite a few lingering doubts, everyone followed the goggle-headed teenager. Kazuya himself felt truly like a leader. The situation seemed bleak, but Kazuya was the kind of person that never gave up hope. Sakura formed a slight smile. She was feeling a little better, but not much. As they walked, Sho knelt down, clutching his chest in pain.

"Sho-Chan!" Labramon ran to her partner. "We'll catch up!" She called to the others. Sho rubbed the sore spot, wincing and groaning at the same time. "Lift up your shirt." Labramon said. Sho lifted his shirt. There was a large bruise on his chest which was blue with purple just around the edges.

"Eww it looks bad, but I can fix that." Labramon put her nose to it softly so as not to cause harm to Sho. "Cure Liquor." The rainbow particles spread and the bruise was gone. When the technique was finished, Labramon panted a bit like she was out of breath.

"Labramon." Sho grabbed his digimon, afraid she was going to collapse again. He felt no pain in his chest, but his worry was more on his digimon. Labramon looked into her partner's concerned eyes and giggled in her typical manner. "I'm fine Sho-chan."

"Hey guys, hurry up!" Kazuya shouted to the pair. "Coming!" Sho shouted back. Sho and Labramon sped up their pace to catch up to their compatriots. "Say Labramon, how come you were so nervous to use your "Cure Liquor?" Sho suddenly asked. Labramon held her head down. "Well you see, using that puts a bit of my data into healing the wound, that's why I get exhausted. The bigger the wound, the more tired I get."

"So you're afraid of getting tired? Well you seem to recover just fine, besides you're a great healer." Sho stated. Labramon smiled at that praise. "Thanks, but if I heal a really big wound, there's a chance I could die." Sho stopped walking. He looked at Labramon feeling a bit guilty about letting her heal his bruise. Now he would have rather waited until it healed naturally.

"It doesn't matter though, healing you is no problem for me." Labramon looked up at Sho with an affirmative shine in her eyes that said love. "I would gladly die for you." Sho blinked at her statement. Die for him? This took him aback, but she was his digimon partner, sworn to protect him at any cost. Although he hoped Labramon's loyalty would not come to that, he smiled and nodded.

---

The grey skies never changed, setting the dreary mood over the dark land. This didn't bother its prince however. No, he took in the salty air as he gazed over the Dark Ocean, his father's kingdom and by extension his. Chiisi...no, that was the person he once was, lost himself in his thoughts. His mind replayed back the fight before. Why, he didn't know, but his thoughts always paused on her face. The sorrowful expression with her eyes brimming with tears. He frowned. "Why can't I forget?" He asked no one.

"Still thinking about that?" He looked up. Myotismon, his partner, stood by overlooking the sea along with him. His cape folded slightly, flapping in the breeze. "You must be too if you brought it up." Chiisi muttered turning away. Myotismon chuckled softly then groaned wearily as he fell to his knees.

"Myotismon!" Chiisi knelt down next to his partner. "Are you alright?" The vampire nodded. "I don't know why, I just felt tired all of a sudden." Chiisi put a hand to the digimon's chest. His face showed concentration then switched to understanding.

"I used the power of darkness to push you past your limits." Chiisi looked at him. "Limits?" He replied, almost as if his human or rather, half-human had told a joke. "Yes. You may be a powerful Ultimate, but even you have power limits."

"_My son, it is time."_ Chiisi felt the mental prick in his brain. "What?" Myotismon inquired. Chiisi rose, gazing back to the sea. "Father is calling." He replied. Myotismon rose to follow, but knelt down again, holding his chest as if he had lost his breath. "No. You stay here and rest. I'll excuse your absence." Chiisi said with reassurance.

Myotismon held up a hand. "No need. I'm not your father's servant. My loyalty has always been and will always be, to you my prince." Myotismon spoke that with pride and resolve. No more words passed between them and a few seconds later, the prince walked down and into the ocean, heeding his father's call.

---

"Hey, check this out!" Kazuya called back to the group. They had walked forward and like before, didn't know where to go. For them, walking until something appeared had become the norm. So far it had worked. An assortment of buildings appeared ahead.

"You think it's a town?" Sho asked. Labramon sniffed. "Well, I smell digimon, so probably." The closer they walked, the clearer their destination became. First, the feeling beneath their feet had changed. Strangely, it felt bouncy. They looked down and found they were standing on what appeared to be padding, like a mat. Curious, Kazuya tried jumping a bit.

"Whoa, this is kind of fun!" He called out, as he jumped a few feet in the air. Gazimon quickly joined him, finding the action fun as well, as he shared a laugh with Kazuya. Jun remarked something about maturity when she looked at the buildings around them.

"These are building blocks?" She said in a confused tone. Indeed, stacked high on top of each other were building blocks. Pictures of ducks, teddy bears, and other images that would normally be found in a nursery adorned them. Kazuya and Gazimon fell back to the ground, their backs to the sky against the soft floor. "You guys should really try this." Said Kazuya. "Yeah, it's real bouncy." Gazimon added.

Labramon sniffed the air again, looking for the scent of digimon she picked up before. "The digimon are this way." Everyone followed the dog digimon into a wide-open plain. In the field was a harvest, not of fruits and vegetables, but eggs.

"Eggs?" Kazuya said. Labramon sniffed again. "Digitamas!" She yipped happily. "Wait, aren't those where digimon come from?" Sho asked. "Yes, it appears we are in Primary Village." Fairydramon said."

"Primary Village?" All the humans said, simultaneously. Fairydramon nodded. "Yes, it's the birthplace of all digimon."

"The ones that weren't made by data swapping that is." Gazimon said, cocking his eyes in a flirtatious manner. Fairydramon ignored that. "Also, it serves as a place of rebirth. Whenever a digimon dies, their data is reconfigured and returns here." Fairydramon further explained.

Death, now that was a concept that crossed everyone's minds. They had deleted many digimon in the past. In all fairness, it had been in self-defense and several were evil already, but they all had wondered if killing was really the answer. Hearing about this reconfiguration eased their minds somewhat.

"Wait a minute. If digimon are just reborn when they die, does that include Boogeymon and SkullMeramon too?" Asked Sho. Boogeymon possibly returning didn't frighten them too much, but the possibility of SkullMeramon making a comeback was not a favorable scenario.

"What about the ones that die naturally? You know, like old age." Jun asked. Both she and Sho looked at Fairydramon. The fairy dragon rubbed the back of her head. "I am not sure." She replied, seemingly embarrassed that she didn't know all the answers despite her knowledgeable statement. Kazuya however didn't want to sit around hearing about the specific requirements for reconfiguration.

"Hey, if the bad guys come back, we'll beat them again, I just want to check this place out." Kazuya ran off towards the egg field with Gazimon following. Seeing that this was another part of their digital adventure, the others followed. Besides, it was better than standing around waiting.

The digitamas were a variety of shades. Some had stripes, while others were decorated in spots. Each of them was about the size of a football. "It's so light." Kazuya said, picking one digitama up gently. The boy inspected it before setting it down. "Jun, please be careful!" The voice of Penguinmon alerted the others as Jun held an egg, lightly shaking it. The girl was holding her ear to it as if she was not certain anything was inside. "You really should be gentle with that!" The little rookie cautioned his partner. The girl continued even to the point of knocking on the egg.

"Are you crazy!?" Kazuya shouted, running over to Jun. "Geez, I'm just checking, besides I think this thing is a dud. It's not even moving." Jun does that have to do with anything? It's probably not ready to hatch yet." Kazuya retorted. Then, the digitama started to move. First, a little, then rapidly, until a bright light made Jun drop it. The light dispersed and in place of the digitama, was a brown basket. Inside, nestled snuggly was a small red creature. It looked like a blob only with two stubs for ears and another behind it, a tail probably. The little creature looked around at the four humans and four-rookie digimon surrounding it, with its clear, innocent eyes.

"Pabu?" It cooed. Everyone except Jun looked at the baby digimon and exclaimed "CUTE!" The small digimon (Pabumon) cooed happily again. Bright lights came from several digitamas in the field. The digidestined scattered, each one going to an egg. Only Jun did not leave. She was too busy looking at the newly hatched Pabumon.

"Isn't he so cute, Jun?" Penguinmon asked, staring at the new arrival. Jun looked at the baby, unimpressed. She put her face right up next to it, trying to see what was so cute about a red blob. "Kerchoo!" The Pabumon sneezed a stream of bubbles into Jun's face. Penguinmon recoiled, fearing that Jun might explode in anger. However, to his surprise, she calmly wiped the bubbles from her face. "Okay, you're a little cute." She reluctantly admitted. Penguinmon breathed a sigh of relief.

Sho and Labramon had stopped at a basket containing a small blue digimon covered in white hair. This particular baby was called a Yuramon. Sho stayed back, not sure of how to approach it. Labramon was more straightforward. Thrusting her face into the basket, the Yuramon hopped on her nose and then onto the rookie's head. Labramon shook her head up and down, bouncing the infant who giggled happily.

"Labramon be gentle, that's a baby." Sho cautioned. "Oh relax Sho-chan, besides the little cutie is having fun." Labramon replied. The Yuramon giggled, showing Labramon was indeed correct. "You want to hold it?" Labramon asked, pushing her head to her partner. "Uh, no thanks." Sho said, putting up his hands. "Oh come on, you just have to pick the baby up. It's real easy." Labramon reasoned.

Sho felt a little nervous, he had never handled a baby, let alone a baby digimon. Without warning, the little Yuramon hopped off Labramon's head and into Sho's lap. The baby giggled and cooed. "Aww, I think he likes you." Said Labramon. Sho looked at the baby and with a sudden feeling of calmness he scooped up the baby in his hands. "Hey, he's really soft." Said Sho. "See? I told you it was easy. You're a natural, Sho-chan!" Labramon complemented.

Sho chuckled. "Just so long as he doesn't think I'm his dad."

"Well to be honest, I think you'd make a wonderful papa, Sho-chan." Labramon knelt close to Sho, rubbing her head against him. "And every good papa needs a good mama." She added. Sho suddenly felt nervous again. At another basket, Sakura and Fairydramon were busy looking over another baby digimon. "Peek-a-boo!" Fairydramon cried as she and the baby digimon played a little game of...well what Fairydramon cried.

The infant responded by burping up some Bubble Blows. Fairydramon chuckled and picked up the infant, who began to bite playfully on one of her claws. "Oh ho! So, you're a fierce little one, are you?" Fairydramon asked, amused.

Sakura had never seen this side of Fairydramon before. Her digimon had always looked cute, but that appearance hid a wise and strong warrior. Now, she appeared maternal. "You seem to really take to this." Sakura chuckled. Fairydramon noticed what she was doing and tried to put on a serious face (albeit blushing.) "Well it's natural; this is my baby form after all." Fairydramon excused, although she continued to play with the child. The baby digimon in question was round and blobby like most of the baby levels. Its body was the same emerald green color as Fairydramon with two tiny nubs on the head, which represented her antennae. On the back were two transparent wings too small to fly very far.

Sakura held up her digimon analyzer, scanning the digimon over.

Digimon: Spritemon

Level: Baby

Attribute: Data

Type: Micro

Attack: Bubble Blow

Seeing this digimon made her think of Chiisi when he was small. Her spirits had returned somewhat, but she still felt a little sad. Looking over, she saw a tree that amazingly had toys hanging from its branches. She plucked a teddy bear off one branch and presented it to the Spritemon. The green blob hopped, snuggling into it.

"I suppose this place brings back memories when you were this age, huh?" Sakura asked her digimon. "What?" Fairydramon asked. "You know...you must have been born here. Or were you a data swapped digimon?" Sakura asked.

Fairydramon thought for a moment. "I don't know. The only thing I remember is waking up in that digitama and meeting you." Fairydramon remembered Labramon's talk of not remembering her past. She herself had admitted then that she did not remember her past, but instead wanted to focus on the present. However, now she did wonder where she had come from. Was she born in this village as most digimon or did she have a mother and father? She put that out of her mind for the moment and returned to fawning over the Spritemon.

Unbeknownst to her, someone was fawning over her from afar. Of course, it was no surprise to anyone that it was Gazimon. "She's so perfect." He sighed dreamily. "Your opinion of Fairydramon has already been established." Kazuya said as he observed a newly hatched Botamon. He could already feel a bout of Fairydramon praising come from his partner.

"Whatever she does radiates perfection...it's a fact." Said Gazimon. The rabbit mon sighed again. "Someday she'll bear my digitama." Kazuya immediately blurted out in laughter. "What's so funny?" Gazimon asked. "I'm sorry. it's just so hard picturing you a father." Kazuya managed to say in-between part of his laughter. "Hey, I think I would be a perfect father!" Gazimon replied defensively. Furthering his point, Gazimon picked up the Botamon.

"How you doing, little guy!?" Gazimon cheerfully asked. The Botamon looked at the strange Gazimon before it. Tears began to well up in its eyes and before anyone could react... "WHAAAAAAA!" The Botamon burst into tears, causing Gazimon to drop it. "Nice going "dad"!" Kazuya said, amidst the crying. "Not my fault!" Gazimon shot back defensively. The both of them tried their best to clam down the infant, but it just continued to cry, growing louder with each attempt at soothing.

"Super Thunder Strike!" A long stream of electricity struck the ground between Kazuya and Gazimon, knocking them down. At the far end of the village, near a forest entrance, a red object was fast approaching. The Closer it came, the more it appeared to be a digimon. This one looked almost like a rodent with red fur and blue stripes. Sticking straight up behind it were nine knifelike tails. The strange digimon ran up to the boys, glaring angrily.

"What are you doing to my babies!?" It said in a male voice. The cries of the Botamon changed his demeanor. He turned to it and put it back in its basket. "There, there, it's alright now." He comforted it. Kazuya pulled out his analyzer.

Digimon: Elecmon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Data

Type: Mammal

Attacks: Super Thunder Strike, Nine Tails

Kazuya put the analyzer immediately away when Elecmon turned around and demanded angrily, "Okay, who are you and what do you want!?" Kazuya and Gazimon immediately backed away, intimidated by the mammal digimon. The others, hearing the commotion, ran over. Seeing that made Elecmon none too pleased as he retreated into a defensive stance.

"Please, we're not here to cause any trouble!" Sakura pleaded. Elecmon wasn't convinced. He stepped back, keeping all eyes on the humans. A small cooing made Elecmon's face calm. Just below Fairydramon, was the same Spritemon that she and Sakura were playing with.

"So, you followed us, huh?" Fairydramon smiled warmly as the Spritemon began to play with the older mon's tail. Elecmon knew the babies wouldn't act so friendly towards anyone who wanted to harm them. His defensive stance vanished and replaced itself with a complacent one.

"I'm sorry about that, but with what's been going on with this island you can never be too careful. I'm Elecmon, caretaker of Primary Village." He greeted. The others greeted themselves in turn. Now that they were on a first name basis Elecmon had one thing to ask. "So, what are you doing here?" He asked. "Trust us, it's a little too long to explain." Said Jun. "Actually, we're here to fix whatever problems this island is having." Kazuya admitted. It was true, in a way. Elecmon seemed a little perplexed by the response.

"Recognize this?" Kazuya asked, holding up his digivice. The others did the same with theirs. It took Elecmon a moment to register, but he finally figured it out. "Wait a minute! You're the Digidestined!?" Everyone nodded. "Well I suppose that figures, what with you being human and all." Elecmon said sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. A chorus of wailing rang out from the digitama field. Elecmon looked at the field, then at the kids. "You know, I could use a little help around here. You wouldn't mind, would you?" Elecmon asked.

All the humans and the digimon turned to the sound of the crying babies. "Oh perfect." Said Jun.

---

The Ice Sanctuary was at peace...on the outside at least. The storms that had been brewing on the outside had dissipated. Many now assumed that IceDevimon had been vanquished as the storms appeared the moment he did. No one had been seriously hurt and that was more important than a destroyed chapel. Many the Sanctuary sheltered were hidden below, but now word of an attack from above had spread. The masses gathered into the hall, looking above to the symbol of light.

If Piddomon were here to see this, he would be delighted. However, he had other matters to attend to before his sermon. In his room, he had just prepared for the ceremony. Everything was in place. The last piece was just about to be added. He was lucky to have stumbled across it whilst venturing outside. Hidden in the snow and ice, he had found an orb of sorts. It was pink in color and something radiated from it. Piddomon could only sense it as light...pure, unadulterated light.

"Beauty......pure beauty." He said, as he stared at it in awe. He could feel the power filling his very soul. His mind drifted back to the girl, Sakura. Whatever power was coming from this orb, he had felt the very same from Sakura earlier. It could not be coincidental.

He placed both hands on the orb and concentrated. "Oh holy spirits of light, please help me find the one I need to banish darkness from this world." He chanted. The orb hummed and glowed a brighter pink. In his head, Piddomon could see all of File Island. The island spun slowly in a rotation. Then it stopped and zoomed in on one place.

"So, Primary Village." Piddomon realized. Grasping the orb, he focused his energies, adding them to the orb. Apparently, it accepted as the pink glow lit up the room. "Now, my holy messenger, go and bring her to me!" Piddomon commanded. The glowing ceased, returning the orb to its normal hue. The angel faltered a tad. His energy had been spent, but not fatally. It would only take a moment to recover. Once, he was at full strength, he would go attend to the awaiting masses. He had sensed the stench of darkness peneetrate this place and now more than ever they needed guidance. This was meant to be, all signs pointed to it. He knew this from the moment he saw a symbol burning within the orb. It was the symbol of his church......the symbol of light.

---

Therefore, it came to pass that the digidestined, the protectors of the Digital World who had been prophecized to come when said world was in danger, had now been resigned to babysitting. The tasks had been split up amongst the group. The boys and their digimon would go with Elecmon to gather fish for the hungry newborns, and the girls and their digimon would stay behind and make sure things were kept safe and to keep an eye on the newly hatched.

Elecmon led the boys to a stream. He had come here often, as fish were the prime source of food for the village. Normally, he did not need any help carrying the large net back. But, he gladly took advantage of the extra hands available.

It was no problem for Kazuya, as he had gone fishing in the past. Sho, on the other hand... "Wait, you've never been fishing?" Kazuya asked. "Nope, never." Sho replied. "Aww man, you were really sheltered, weren't you?" Kazuya laughed.

Sho put his hands in his pocket. He knew Kazuya meant nothing by it. After all, he was well to do, for lack of a better term. "Yeah, you're right. I've never even handled a baby before. Well actually, I did hold my little sister once, but my older brother and parents did most of the work." Sho admitted. A look of realization crossed Kazuya's face. "Oh, so you're a middle child, huh?" Sho smiled. "Yup, not the oldest, not the youngest." Both boys laughed.

Ahead Elecmon had heard the conversation and from what was spoken, he was glad he had put these two on fishing duties. He did wonder if placing the girls in charge of watching the village was right. He wasn't sure if those girls knew anything about babies, to be honest. But it was too late to change plans now, as they had reached the stream.

"Okay, here we are." Elecmon announced. The stream looked like a plain, ordinary stream. Nothing set it apart from any other stream. "Alright, I need the Gazimon for a moment." Elecmon asked. Gazimon walked up to him, anticipating how they were going to fish. He had never been fishing before, but obviously, Kazuya had. The boy wondered, how could they fish when they didn't have rods? His eyes went to the net, but it didn't look at all like the fishing variety.

Elecmon's gaze turned to the stream. Gazimon followed when he noticed Elecmon's eyes briefly dart to him. "When I say, ready, you and I attack the stream at the same time." Gazimon knew which attack to do. "Okay...ready." Both digimon took their stances, each one crying out their attack.

"Super Thunder Strike!"

"Electric Stun Blast!"

The twin streams of electricity conducted with the water, making it light up brightly. Kazuya and Sho stole a glance. That water wouldn't be safe to swim in for a while, they each thought. A smell suddenly hit their noses. The smell of grilled fish. Several fish, no...a stream of fish, jumped out of the water and into the waiting arms of Elecmon, who scooped them into his net. Neither of the boys were sure if the fish were even alive. The smell would indicate they were cooked, but they way they jumped signified life. They put it out of their minds, as trying to reason logic in the Digital World would be next to nigh impossible.

Labramon certainly didn't care, as the smell of good cooking was all she needed. Her mouth watered eagerly, and she plodded up to snatch a few fish."Hey you, Labramon, I'm going to need some extra paws here." Elecmon asked. Labramon silently voiced her disappointment at not eating any. Pushing it down, she used her paws to help Elecmon with scooping in the fish. Soon, the bag was full to the brim. "Perfect! This should keep those little mouths full for a while." Elecmon turned to Kazuya and Sho. "Okay, you two can carry the net."

Both boys frowned at the task given to them. Kazuya was disappointed that he didn't get a chance to catch anything and Sho didn't want to find out how heavy that net was. Nevertheless, both boys hoisted it up and carried it back in the direction of the village. Elecmon smiled. It was gratifying enough to be the caretaker of this village, but sometimes even he wished for a break. Gazimon was just happy to show off his skills, his pride swelling up even more.

As the five headed back in the direction of the village, Labramon noticed a small fish that had gone unnoticed. Looking around just to make sure no one was looking, she snapped up the fish and swallowed it.

"Yum yum." She said, before following the boys.

---

Jun was feeling her job was a little gender stereotyped. She seemed to be the only one who had no idea what she was doing. So far, the job had been pretty simple. Make sure the kids played nice and didn't wreck anything. So far, she had done nothing, not out of laziness, but uncertainty.

"They're staring at me again." Jun announced. Several baby digimon focused their eyes on her. "Well, do something, you know...play with them." Penguinmon called back cheerfully, then went back to whatever baby he was attending to.

Play? That was hardly on Jun's list of things to do. She held her hands up and moved them around, hoping that it would be enough and the children would leave. Unfortunately, Jun got no reaction. They continued to stare up at her with their mostly black orbs, which looked almost like a doll's eyes. It was simply creepy. Giving up, Jun tried to leave, but noticed movement from the gaggle. "Okay." Jun muttered.

Sakura and Fairydramon were having a much easier time. As Sakura had noticed before, taking care of baby digimon seemed to come naturally to her. She smiled as several clung to and circled her digimon. Watching this made her forget about her own depression if only for a moment.

"Having fun?" She called to her digimon.

Fairydramon turned back, smiling, as a familiar Spritemon was hanging on to her tail. "Oh, for the most part." She called back, before returning to her little "fans."

"Kodiro!" Sakura turned to find Jun. "They won't stop following me." Jun exclaimed. "Who?" Sakura asked. Jun pointed behind her to show she had her own group of "fans." Sakura smiled, having to hold back a chuckle, but not doing so well. "It's not funny! They keep following me wherever I go!" Jun exclaimed. To demonstrate, Jun moved left, then right and certainly, wherever she went the babies mimicked her movements. "This is plain creepy!" Jun pointed her finger at the gaggle annunciating each word. Sakura adjusted her glasses, looking at the assembly behind her friend. "Actually, I think it's kind of sweet."

Jun frowned. "You are just so eternally happy aren't you? I mean, one moment you're depressed about your cousin turning on us, then the next, your all rays and sunshine." The bereted girl flashed a phony smile to illustrate her point.

The bespectacled girl's demeanor changed in that instant. "There's nothing wrong with being happy! Do you have to bring everything down!?" Everyone was surprised by Sakura's sudden outburst. Jun knew she had reached a sore point.

"Sorry." Jun apologized. "It's just, I…well…happiness isn't really my thing, too sappy." Jun admitted. Sakura's smile returned. "You should try to cheer up more. Look at Fairydramon, she's being cheerful." Jun looked at the dragon digimon and despite having a bunch of blobs congregate around her, she seemed to be in good spirits. Even Penguinmon had been in the same mood. Her eyes scanned for her partner, but she couldn't find him.

"I guess hanging around Miyamoto gave you that." Said Jun. Sakura nodded. Kazuya was always the hopeful one, so optimistic even in the darkest of situations. Hanging around him all these years had finally rubbed off on her. She hoped she could do the very same for Jun.

---

_Sweet relief_ Penguinmon thought. He was enjoying playing and taking care of the various baby digimon that had recently hatched, when a sudden personal call of nature trumpeted. He searched through the village, looking for any source and right when hope disappeared, he found it. On the village outskirts, just border-lining the forest, was a toilet. Immediately, Peguinmon hopped on and did what he needed to do. Soon, he felt relaxed and was ready to return. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash. Before he could question it, the flash brightened. Penguinmon backed away in fear, as the large creature growled at him. "JUN!" He screamed, before waddling away.

The creature ignored the rookie. Its master had given a command. It must obey.

---

Jun turned at the sound of her digimon's voice. Penguinmon was yelling about something. Jun could only make out her name being called, but the rapid flapping of his beak indicated he had more to say. He waddled with a great speed, then collapsed.

"What is it?" Jun asked, almost expecting whatever fear Penguinmon had contracted. Gathering his breath, the bird stood up. "Big…toilet...thing…scary!" Penguinmon stammered. Jun rolled her eyes, "A toilet? Okay, do you need me to toilet train you?" Jun asked with exasperation.

A loud roar rocked the area, sending the groups of baby digimon running behind Jun and Fairydramon. From the direction Penguinmon had came from, a large digimon stepped into view. The babies hid behind their appointed protectors hoping that they would make the scary creature go away. The digimon was draconic in appearance. Despite that, it bore a similarity to another digimon they knew.

"Angemon?" Sakura questioned. The digimon did look like Angemon, what with the white feathery suit that covered its body and the shoulder pad on its left arm. Unlike the angel champion, it had only two wings, large and feathery ones. The helmet was there, but more positioned for the creature's head. The tail was adorned with three holy rings, golden in color and adorned with digicode around them.

Digimon: Angedramon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Holy Beast

Attacks: Angel Claw, Helmet Shine

Angedramon turned its head to the smaller creatures beyond it. Sakura could almost swear it was looking at her. Roaring yet again, the holy champion charged forward. Fairydramon didn't need to say anything and Sakura didn't need a signal to hold up her digivice.

"**Fairydramon evolve! Tiamon!**" Tiamon charged towards her fellow dragon. She would make sure no harm would come to these little ones. The dragons clashed the moment they came close. Biting and clawing each other, reaching for every vital part of the body. Tiamon reared her head back to breathe her Tiamat Flame. Just when the flames licked her teeth, Angedramon's helmet began to glow a white shade. A beam of energy exploded onto Tiamon. She fell back, the remains of her attack now merely smoke pouring out of her maw.

Angedramon reared its head in Sakura's direction. She could almost swear that from under there it was looking right at her. Jun looked at Penguinmon. He looked back, knowing what he had to do.

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**" The black firebird flew and sent out several Black Sabers. Angedramon roared in pain as the fireballs struck him. He let out another roar when Tiamon's Ember Claw struck him right in the jaw.

The baby digimon gave out little cheers. Seeing these two Champion digimon made them anxious to grow up.

"I think they love us." Saberdramon mentioned, his eyes gleaming with felt pride as well. "Yes, but we have to be careful. We don't want to destroy the village." She cautioned. The holy beast growled again. He was growing very annoyed with the two who impeded his mission. He turned to the girl. The Tiamon was blocking his view, but he could sense the human. Pure rage escaped his throat. He slashed his angel claws, not caring if they struck, but hoping they would distract his opponents. He flapped upwards into the sky and the minute he saw her, he descended.

Tiamon and Saberdramon looked back. They almost launched their flame attacks, but reminded themselves of the babies, realizing they could possibly hit them. "Genki Laser!" The beam struck Angedramon, who had not expected it. As such, he flew into some block towers, causing them to crash down upon him.

"Hey guys!" Just entering the village was Kazuya and Sho. Behind them were both their digimon, now in their Champion forms and Elecmon. "What's going on here? I left you two here to make sure nothing happened!" Elecmon irritably asked. "Hey, Mr. Guardian, this thing just took us by surprise!" Jun snapped.

The babies suddenly began to babble. Some of it was nonsense while bits and pieces were just the first parts of their names. Their babbles were indicating to the collapsed block towers that had now begun to rise.

"Elecmon, get the babies out of here right now! We'll handle this!" Sakura announced. Truthfully, he wanted to give the digimon that dared to attack his village a piece of his mind, but his duty and care for his charges was far greater.

"Just don't break anything!" Elecmon called as he shepherded the babies out of harms way. Sakura kept her eye on the blocks, everyone else did too. They had stopped moving. Sakura's brain told her to run, but her legs would not move. She was certain that digimon was looking at her. Maybe, something otherworldly told her that. She could see Kazuya motioning for her to move. She looked to him, then at the blocks. She took a single step and Angedramon lunged. Everything happened so fast that no one had time to do anything.

Grasped in one claw, Angedramon held his prize. The digimon stood poised to attack, but they were in a very uncompromising condition. This was all the advantage one needed. Taking it, Angedramon flew upwards. Sakura gave a yell as the holy beast flew away.

"Follow him!" Tiamon called. She took the lead and the others followed. She had let Sakura be captured once before, but she wouldn't let it happen again. The chase ended when they reached a certain porcelain object. "Hey, that's the toilet I was using earlier." Saberdramon announced. "Did we really need to know that?" Jun dryly asked.

Close to the toilet was a glowing pathway. A portal, much like the one that had drawn them into the World of Darkness after they had defeated IceDevimon. Where as the other was a portal of darkness, this one could be considered a portal of light. Angedramon calmly walked forward towards it.

"Stop!" Kazuya cried, seeing his best friend being taken away. Tiamon was the first to charge, crashing into the beast. Both of them exploded into a flash of light and they were gone. With its summoner gone, the portal began to shrink."Shouldn't that thing just disappear?" Sho questioned the convenient display.

"Don't question it, just go!" Kazuya called, as he and Genkimon were the next to follow. Jun, Sho, and their digimon were next. Like before, at the Freezland, the portal closed and they were gone.

---

Angemon kept the grip on his staff tight. The danger had passed, but he always maintained a keen front if it so ever returned. He could feel the calmness of the air outside, yet he knew something was amiss.

"You seem tense." D'arcmon noticed. Her blades were sheathed at her sides. Unlike her companion, she only prepped when danger appeared in front of her."I'm just prepared, that's all." Angemon said. D'arcmon walked to him. "You should relax, we need to concentrate on the repairs." She responded.

Angemon's demeanor did not change. His grip became tighter as he gazed around the area, then focusing on the center door that led below. "You told me one of Piddomon's sermons begun at this time."

"Yes I did." Said D'arcmon. The angel walked over to the direction of the doorway. "I would very much like to see one. You mentioned he was going too far." Before he reached for the handle, he felt the grip of D'arcmon's hand against his own. "Do you plan on fighting?" She asked.

Angemon looked to her, his eyes meeting hers beneath his helmet. "Only if need be." He answered. "Then I'll go with you." She replied two of them stepped through the door, closing it behind them, to see how far gone their companion had become.

---

The world beyond the portal of light was nothing the digidestined had ever seen. A wide tunnel of light surrounded them, circling around on both sides. A solid pathway kept them suspended above an iridescent void. However, the pathway was big enough to support all the digimon.

"Tiidaiya!" The golden arrows shined from Shiisamon's mane, imbedding themselves in Angedramon's left hind leg. The creature ignored the pain and kept going on its path. Ahead in front of it was another portal, most likely leading to where the creature had wanted to go, if not for the interference from Tiamon.

Tiamon herself had tried to wrestle her partner away from him, but he simply shrugged off her bites and claws. She would have unleashed a Tiamat Flame, but there was a chance she could incinerate Sakura. So, she simply had to settle for Ember Claws or just plain old fashioned brawling. All of the digimon had to resort to using their less than devastating attacks.

"You know, this would be simpler if we just evolved them straight to Ultimate." Jun suggested. "They already evolved to Ultimate once. Then we just evolved them back to Champions." Kazuya reminded. "We could spend all their energy."

Sho seated upon Shiisamon looked uncertainly at Angedramon. "I don't know Kazuya, Jun may be right. I don't think this guy is an ordinary Champion."

"You know, Ultimate would be really great right about now!" Sakura managed to call back, surprised that she actually heard the conversation. Kazuya held onto his digivice. Perhaps Ultimate level would be the best option, he thought. Genkimon knew what Kazuya was thinking. "No way! I want to show I'm still just as good a Champion as I am Ultimate!" Genkimon said, before charging up another Genki Rush. He continuously struck, joining his beloved Tiamon in the assault. Angedramon roared again. Behind the anger, there was a lethargic tone.

"What can I say? The guy knows what he wants." Kazuya smirked, running to join his partner to cheer him on. "Ha! How about this? You like that!?" Genkimon said between punches and kicks. Beneath his helmet, anger crossed his eyes. His helmet glowed brighter than it had ever been. Angedramon turned towards Genkimon.

"Hey…how…about…some…more?" Genkimon gulped. The full force of the Helmet Shine unleashed itself upon the digimon, sending him far off the path and into the void. "Genkimon!" Kazuya and Tiamon yelled in unison. Kazuya looked toward the void, then to Angedramon. "You creep!" He yelled.

No one was sure if Angedramon was capable of carrying on a conversation, but perhaps the term creep was understood. Because his response was swatting Kazuya aside with his tail, sending him along with his digimon. "Kazuyaaaaa!" Sakura screamed, not having enough time to fully react to Kazuya's apparent demise as Angedramon continued his course. He was almost at the portal, but suddenly he faltered. Clenching his tail with her teeth was Tiamon. The dragoness remained determined to pull him back from his destination, but Angedramon kept going, putting all of his energy into moving. He reached out a free claw and felt the sensation of the portal pulling him inside. He knew the unattended guest would throw him off course, but he didn't care.

"He's going through again!" Saberdramon cried with alarm. Neither Jun nor Sho had time to mourn their lost leader they had to do something before they lost Sakura or worse, became trapped in this realm. Grabbing tightly to Saberdramon's right leg, Jun pointed to the disappearing dragon.

"Follow him!" She commanded. Saberdramon didn't say a word and obediently flew to the now closing portal. Shiisamon looked to Sho atop her back. "Sho-chan?" She asked. Sho looked to the gate and with a sigh, he said. "Here we go again."

Both human and digimon pairs collided with Angedramon and soon the, void was as empty as it had been before.

---

He traversed the waves, heading deeper and deeper into the sea. Most creatures would have been killed from the sheer pressure, but his mixed heritage prevented that from happening to him. Chiisi could hear his father call to him in the deep recesses of his mind. He knew exactly where to go.

In the distance he saw four shapes, his eyes seeing past the dark blanket of the undersea surface. Growing closer, he saw they were towers of sorts, dark towers to be precise. The material was obviously stone, maybe obsidian due to the color. Situated between them was Dagomon. His eyes were closed, but at Chiisi's entrance, they opened.

"Father." Said Chiisi. "Ah, you have come, my son. Now, we can begin." Chiisi looked to the towers. "Father, what are these?" He asked. The undersea god turned his gaze to the towers, his eyes shifting from each, as he explained. "These are images created from the darkness of our world. They are darkness in a pure form, if you will, but they can have a purpose." Dagomon said, raising one of his tentacles as one would raise a finger. A look of pure astonishment shone in Chiisi's eyes. Dagomon saw that and gave a pleased chuckle. "You are the key to that purpose."

"Me?" Chiisi asked. "Yes. If given the right push, these towers can serve as barrier disrupters." Dagomon explained. "Normally, the Digital World's defenses disrupt me from entering fully, even with these towers, but your human half can bypass that." Chiisi looked at his hands. What his father had explained had made sense. After all, he was chosen by the Digital World itself. "I understand father."

"Good. Now lend your darkness to the tower." Dagomon commanded. With no hesitation, Chiisi focused. The feeling was much like trying to rack your brain for an answer to a hard question. The darkness inside him began to grow. When it reached its peak, energy formed in his hands, then spread to his entire body. He let the darkness overtake him and then he released it. The darkness spread like flame, coursing into the towers. From the depths, Dagomon's laughter rang out and the Digital Deep Ones rejoiced, for soon their time would come.

---

"What the?" Kazuya tried to take in his new surroundings. He could not comprehend it, even if he tried, but thankfully falling into the void had not killed him. He just hoped the others realized that as well. Random described the world he had fallen into. It was a blank skyline, but filled with random shapes lacking no sort of pattern or reason to them. It was almost like stepping into some bizarre dream world. At Kazuya's side, the newly devolved Gazimon had just one thing to say...

"At least we didn't fall asleep."

To be continued…

I apologize for the long wait in the chapter. As of now I am technically working. It is a part time/volunteer job meaning I can go in there if I feel like it. In addition, I had an awesome interview and lately I have been in a good mood. Now on the chapter. Sorry for those who don't like fluff but I felt it was appropriate to add since well baby digimon are cute. As for Angedramon, I know he was rather unoriginal but I have always wondered why there was not an angel counterpart for Devidramon. I mean Angemon had Devimon. Angewomon had LadyDevimon. Even MarineAngemon had MarineDevimon despite being different levels. Then again MagnaAngemon didn't have a devil counterpart but I suppose NeoDevimon could fit that. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and kudos to anyone who figures out the world Kazuya and Gazimon are stranded in is.


	30. Chapter 30

Fallen Angel Castle had not seen much activity lately. Each of the fallen angels were attending to their own business. Lilithmon had quickly turned Impmon into her little manservant, whereas Cherubimon busied himself with his experiments. Duskmon found it somewhat amusing and surprising at the amount of work Cherubimon forced upon himself. It was as if he could only be happy when he was under a large number of drudgery. Duskmon's thoughts then quickly turned to Demon. The leader of the group had seldom made contact with his fellow fallen angels since the death of SkullMeramon. Others thought he was simply infuriated at his most loyal lieutenant's demise, but Duskmon knew better. Not that Lilithmon or Cherubimon would believe him. As far as they knew or made themselves believe, their fellow demon brother was loyal to their cause.

Duskmon would have done something himself, but even he knew he could not take on a Mega level. No, he would wait until the right moment. It is what his master had ordered. Then he felt it...a spike in his brain. It was a different kind of feeling from the one he felt when his master spoke to him. This felt more like something was calling him...beckoning him. He recognized it...this scent.

"The darkness is overflowing." He said. His mind immediately thought of the smallest digidestined. This darkness and the darkness he had felt from that boy were one and the same. "This could be most interesting." He said. Then, he felt another spike, a familiar one. "Master?" Duskmon knelt down in reverence, hearing the invisible words spoken to him.

"Yes, I understand master, but may I explore this? Dagomon's power could prove a problem with your plans." He asked. Silence followed to all but him. Duskmon rose again, his eyes shining with pleasure. "Thank you master." With that, he vanished into darkness.

Kazuya stared out into the strange void before him. The random shapes and white skyline stretched out endlessly. "Hello!" he called. Nothing. "Heeeellllllooooo!" He called out again, but there was no reply. "This place is weird." Kazuya noted. That was the best way to sum up his situation.

"Tell me about it." Gazimon agreed. The rabbit mimicked his partner in observing their surroundings. But Gazimon did the only thing he could think of. "Hey, come on! If anyone is out there, this isn't funny!" No response followed. A useless act, but neither Kazuya nor Gazimon saw no other alternative. "Come on, if you answer back, we'll give you anything...candy...dates with a couple of cute girls...you name it!" Gazimon called out again.

Apparently bribery would not work. Taking out his digivice, Kazuya brought up the map. The screen displayed a blank page. No digivice signals, not even a single blip, nothing at all. "I think it's safe to say we're stuck here." Kazuya said it in such a calm manner that he almost sounded like Chiisi. Nothing else could be said. They were lost in a strange world, but unlike the Digital World, this one lacked consistency or reason.

"You can't be serious!" Gazimon blurted, his face turning in shock. Kazuya shrugged. "I don't know what else to say."

Gazimon couldn't believe his partner's seeming lack of severity of their situation. "You're acting awfully calm about this!" He shrugged again. "I don't know how else to act. Panicking won't solve anything." His blank dull expression collapsed as he felt Gazimon crawling up his jacket and then stopping to look him straight in the eye.

"You don't get it!" Gazimon shouted, suddenly dropping off and pulling his ears down. "We're going to be stuck here forever. I'll never experience the pleasures of a good drink, smoke, or candy again!"

"Hey, hey, just relax!" Kazuya said, calmly.

Gazimon turned around, pulling his ears down even harder. "No relax! No relax!" Gazimon felt the pressure again in his chest. "Worst of all, I'll never caress my sweet Fairydramon again!" Fairydramon...out of all the things he would miss the most, it would be her. Sure, he would miss girls in general, but Fairydramon was at the top. Her scales...her voice...the way she would get angry with him...all that would be gone. He longed, no he wished for her. If he could will her there, he would.

"Fairydramon, my sweet honey, I want to spend eternity with you!" Gazimon's voice echoed out into the void. Now that his digimon's little tirade was over, Kazuya could think of their next plan of action.

"Hee hee." A soft giggle halted that, both turned, and while Kazuya looked shocked, Gazimon was as happy as he could ever be. Standing a few feet away was Fairydramon. The scales...the antennae...the wings...everything was there. In a flash, Gazimon bolted to Fairydramon and wrapped his arms around her.

"Fairydramon, my sweet honey, you're here, but how?" He asked excitedly.

Now normally, Fairydramon would inflict extreme bodily harm onto Gazimon for getting this close. Instead, she leaned in close, her own grab overpowering Gazimon's. "Oh Gazimon-sama, I would never leave you. I simply heard your call and here I am." She stated.

"Fairydramon." Gazimon said dreamily.

"Gazimon-sama." Fairydramon said, just the same. Then they kissed. It was a moment of pleasure to both, but confusion to another.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Kazuya exclaimed, putting his jaw back into his head. "This makes no sense! Fairydramon would never do this and you know it!"

He knew Kazuya was usually never wrong, but he had to state his thoughts. "So?" Gazimon asked.

Kazuya half-expected that response. "Okay, fine! But how did she even get here? Is this even the real Fairydramon?"

Gazimon shrugged. "I really don't care, any Fairydramon is real enough for me. As for her being here, well Fairydramon just popped in my head and poof here she is."

"You just thought about her?" Asked Kazuya. "Well to tell you the truth, I really wished for her." Gazimon admitted. Wishing? A thought entered Gazimon's head. Thinking and wishing with all his might, the Fairydramon, real or not, began to grow. Her body reshaped until it matched that of a human woman's build. Complete with added features.

Kazuya covered his eyes. "Ah! Please put a bra on her or something!"

Gazimon felt a pang of disappointment, but he relented and did so. Kazuya opened his eyes to find the now anthropomorphized Fairydramon wearing a purple colored bra. This world, most assuredly, was the strangest they had visited yet.

"You know what? I think we should try to find a way out of here. There has to be a gateway or something."

Gazimon however, was not so quick on leaving. Cradled in the arms of his beloved much like a mother holding her baby, Gazimon grinned in contentment. "You go on ahead Kazuya, I think I'll stay a while. If you find anything, just come back and let me know."

Kazuya opened his mouth to argue, but knowing it would be futile against the little hedonist, he turned around and walked off.

Sakura felt the chill of the snow hit her. Everything had happened so fast that she failed to see her digimon still fighting with Angedramon. The two dragons kept up the fight that had begun in that digital void. She didn't know how to take all this, watching seemed like the only choice. Tiamon spewed forth flames which engulfed the angel dragon. The white feathers adorning the creature singed off, revealing the bare burnt skin underneath. Taimon followed up by physically attacking her opponent, claws raking against the burnt spots. This display surprised Sakura. She had never seen her digimon fight with such ferocity.

The fight was now beginning to hold in the dragoness's favor. She prepared another Tiamat Fire in her throat, but stopped suddenly. Angedramon's body began to glow a bright pink.

"What?" Tiamon exclaimed, as she saw the wounds heal instantaneously. Sakura was shocked by this as well. Then, she felt it. That surge of power, which as powerful as it was in might, also had a calming effect on her.

"Now, now, we shall not have any of this." Sakura recognized the voice immediately. Turning around, she saw a familiar angel. It was Piddomon, but that was nothing compared to her surprise of what he was holding. In the champion's hand was a large pink orb.

"A digicore?" Sakura whispered.

Holding the digicore up high, Piddomon thrust it towards Angedramon. "Now my holy brother, crush the infidel that stands before you!"

The digicore shined pink and in tune so did Angedramon's body. The pink light seemed to flow into the helmet. When the glow apparently reached its limit, a Helmet Shine shone forth, striking Tiamon.

"AAAAGGHGGH!" Tiamon screamed, feeling the burning pain around her. Then her mind went blank.

"Tiamon!" Sakura screamed, feeling tears forming. With all that had been going on, she couldn't bear to lose her digimon. But that thought was swept aside as she saw the familiar glow of de-volution. Angedramon advanced on the small unconscious rookie. "No! Please call him off!" Sakura pleaded.

Piddomon did nothing for a few seconds, letting his beast do what he pleased. When he noticed Angedramon opening his maw, he said, "Wait!" Angedramon stopped. "Watch this little one, make sure she doesn't interfere." Angedramon placed a claw over Fairydramon. If she were to awaken, she would find escape a rather daunting task.

Piddomon turned to Sakura, a smile forming. Sakura backed away. "Now my dear, we can began." He spoke his words taking on a charismatic voice. Sakura backed away. She had many questions in her head. Those questions were immediately put to rest, for suddenly Sakura felt her own mind dulling. Piddomon held up the digicore. Waves of pink hummed forth like sonar. Beneath her glasses, her eyes began to droop, before she fell into a slumber. Piddomon walked over to her, taking her around one arm.

Piddomon looked down and smiled. Soon, all he worked for would come to fruition. With this girl's help, all of the Digital World would be bathed in light.

Sho and Jun hit the ground, the snow softening their fall. Shiisamon and Saberdramon did the same, landing nearby. Jun shot up, as the chill hit her. "Well, this is pleasant." She said, beneath clenched teeth and a small shiver.

Sho's choice of clothing prevented him from being shocked by sudden temperature drops. He saw a certain building far off and recognized it immediately. "We're back at the sanctuary!" Sho exclaimed.

Everyone else looked up to see the crystalline outline of the holy architecture. "You're right, Sho-chan. We are." Said Shiisamon.

Saberdramon cocked his head in confusion at this realization. "Kind of odd that we would wind up here of all places." It was rather odd that they would wind up back in a place they had just left.

"Strange or not, I really don't care." Jun stepped forward, her gaze stretching out towards the Sanctuary. Checking her digivice, she noticed the blinking white blip on the screen. "I think it's safe to say Kodiro and Fairydramon are there." Jun turned towards the group. "Okay troops, let's move out!" She said, in a commanding tone.

Sho blinked, surprised. "Troops?"

"Hey, who put you in charge?" Shiisamon asked crossly.

"Myself. Since our leader is not here, someone has to take charge." Jun said, crossing her arms.

Shiisamon didn't share in that opinion. "Well, I think Sho-chan would be a much better leader than you!" She proclaimed, pointing her nose high into the air.

"Oh really?" Jun turned to Sho who backed away nervously at her gaze.

"See? That's exactly what I mean. Sanbara, you're a nice guy, but you have no backbone, you didn't even try to defend yourself."

"But you just said-" Sho started. Jun placed her hand out in front of her.

"And honestly you don't handle pressure well." Sho didn't say anything else.

She had him there.

"Don't say mean things about Sho-chan!" Shiisamon growled. Jun simply shrugged dismissively. "Hey, I just tell it like it is. So if we're done talking, let's bust that church door down and get our teammates."

Saberdramon gave a sigh. He could easily see how his partner was the child of Sincerity. "Jun, are you really sure it's safe to just barge in there? I mean the digimon there didn't seem so bad." Jun gave her partner the same glare she had given Sho. "N-not that I'm questioning your decisions!" He said, flapping his wings for accentuation.

Jun turned her back to her digimon, returning her gaze to the sanctuary. "I don't know what's going on, but some giant angel dragon kidnaps one of our friends and leads us back here. To me, that's fishy." Jun strode up to Saberdramon's leg and grabbed hold.

"So I say, we act like the Digidestined and kick some ass!" She proclaimed. Apparently, that was the signal. Saberdramon flapped into the air and flew towards their destination.

"Can you believe her? I have half a mind to bite her in the butt!" Shiisamon angrily barked.

Sho didn't say a word and climbed upon his digimon's back. "We probably should go." He suggested. Although not wanting to follow Jun, Shiisamon listened to her partner's words.

"Only because you said it, Sho-chan." Shiisamon replied. As the pair rode forward, Sho thought back to what Jun had said. Back in the day, he would have figured it was more of her put-downs. After the time he had spent with her, he saw Jun not as insulting but merely brutally honest.

"I suppose Sincerity does suit her."

Kazuya wished he had a watch. At least he could time how long he had been walking. So far, his search for an exit in this world bore no fruit. All he had found were more of those random shapes floating in the sky, some of them resembling cylinders, while others had the pattern and shapes of coral reefs. Some even appeared as shapes he had never seen before. Those were beyond the point however, as now the only thing he could think of doing was walking back. Although his search failed, at least he put in the effort.

Finding his way back to Gazimon was not hard. All he had done was walk in a straight line. So it didn't take him long to get back. As he got closer he could swear he heard laughter, actually more like flirtatious giggles.

"Gazimon, I'm back." He said, bringing his head up from his earlier disappointment. When he looked up, he was not that surprised at what he saw but still said, "You've got to be kidding me."

Gazimon was now seated on a red velvet recliner. Surrounding him were several more anthro-Fairydramon, only now they were dressed as bunny girls. Kazuya couldn't believe it, but it was true. There were about six of them altogether. One of them was busy barbecuing something on a grill which looked like a kabob, while another one was rubbing his feet. Two more stood close by the top of the recliner, obviously doing some kind of flirting. The last one was pouring Gazimon some sake, which he gladly gulped down. Then Gazimon pulled out (and Kazuya was not the least bit surprised at this) a cigar. It was a Cuban or at least a rather large-looking cigar. He stuck it in his mouth and one of the Fairydramon bunnies lit it up with her flame breath.

Gazimon puffed, then blew out a thick billowing cloud of smoke into the air, giving a contented sigh. Kazuya couldn't see Gazimon's eyes underneath the sunglasses his digimon was inexplicably wearing, but he knew they had a blissful look. After exhaling another puff of smoke, Gazimon turned his head.

"Oh Kazuya, hey! Hungry? Sweet honey number six should be finished over there." Gazimon gestured to the grilling Fairydramon. Kazuya walked over to his digimon. He looked over the Fairydramon in inspection. "Where did they come from?" Kazuya plainly asked. "Simple, I wished them up." Gazimon stated then quickly returned to his cigar.

"Wished them up?" Kazuya repeated.

Seeing that Kazuya was not getting the idea, Gazimon closed his eyes and instantly, another anthro-bunny Fairydramon materialized.

"Gazimon-sama!" She cried, rushing to give Gazimon a hug followed by a kiss.

Gazimon smiled and exhaled another puff of smoke. "Oh, she's a frisky one. She might be the one to bear my digitama."

Kazuya was dumbfounded. He had tried earlier to think of a door, anything to get him out of this world, but nothing happened. He tried again, but still nothing happened. "I don't get it. How come you can make stuff appear, but I can't?" He exclaimed, frustrated.

Gazimon chuckled and blew out a trail of smoke rings. "Like I said, I suppose I have the skills." He said with cockiness in his voice.

"The smoke ring trick was only impressive once." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon scoffed. "Eh, I think I still have the moves." Furthering his point, again Gazimon blew out a thin trail of smoke followed by a smoke ring. "Bullseye, heh." He smirked.

"Okay, that was good." Kazuya admitted. Gazimon smiled proudly at the compliment, then returned to his indulgences.

"Okay, now that you're happy, I guess we should try and find a way out of this place. So let's go." Kazuya turned around, but Gazimon did not follow. Kazuya turned around and Gazimon stared back at him.

"What's your hurry?" Gazimon asked. "Um, you know, getting back to our friends? Saving the world? Does that ring a bell to you?" Kazuya replied.

Gazimon thought for a moment, then sank into the recliner. "You know Kazuya, this place is great, once you give it a chance. I mean look, I got all I want right here. Heck, I'll probably wish up a house and rear a family with my sweet little honeys." All the Fairydramon bunnies giggled at that remark.

Kazuya pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to hold in his annoyance. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" Gazimon ignored him, sipping another cup of sake. "Ain't nothing wrong with enjoying pleasure." Gazimon remarked.

Seeing he was not getting through to his hedonist of a digimon, Kazuya started to walk away, but then he turned his head around. "You know, only a coward doesn't want to face reality."

Gazimon nearly choked on his cigar. "Excuse *cough* me! *cough*" Gazimon said amidst hacking cigar smoke.

"You heard me. You can have all these nice things, but you know what? They aren't real. None of them are." Gazimon crossed his arms in a sulk. "Besides, weren't you trying to woo the real Fairydramon? Sure, you can just wish one up that is devoted to you, but it's really hollow, don't you think? Besides, I don't think you can get any digitamas out of an illusion."

Gazimon stared at the ground for a few seconds then looked up, noticing Kazuya was walking away. "Hey, where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going someplace secluded to try to get out of here." Kazuya answered and said nothing more. Seeing his partner slowly disappear into the horizon, Gazimon began to think.

"Oh Gazimon-sama, your kabob is ready." Called the grilling bunny-girl Fairydramon. Gazimon looked at her and all the other Fairydramon fawning over him. Kazuya's words stuck in his brain. He knew when his partner was right.

"Sorry girls, but the real Fairydramon is the one for me." And with that, the Fairydramon vanished, along with the recliner and grill. After a few minutes of walking, Kazuya heard the voice of Gazimon behind him. "Hey Kazuya, wait up!" He called.

Smiling, he turned to face his partner. "Gazimon!" Kazuya called happily. His happiness faded slightly when he noticed the sunglasses and cigar were still a part of his digimon's appearance.

Gazimon noticed the look on his partner's face and gestured to the cigar. "Hey, I know what I like." He then gestured to the sunglasses. "And these make me look cool."

Kazuya smiled and nodded. "Alright partner, let's get to work." Gazimon nodded affirmatively. The goggle head and the bunny team were back together.

Sakura jolted awake. Immediately, she felt restraints against her wrists. Ropes were tightened around them and also around her waist, to the chair she was in. She struggled, but realized quickly she wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

"Oh, you're up." A bright voice announced. Sakura looked up to see Piddomon smiling down at her. The angel digimon took a step towards her.

"Get away from me!" She screamed.

"Now, now, relax. I'm not going to hurt you!" Piddomon reassured her.

"Oh yeah. I guess you tied me up so I'll be comfortable?" Sakura was surprised at the sudden sarcasm in her voice, perhaps she had been hanging around Jun too long.

Piddomon chuckled. "Well, I certainly hope you are comfortable, but really I wanted you to stay and listen. Considering our present circumstances, I didn't think you would want to hear me out." Piddomon stared earnestly into her eyes. "I humbly apologize for any distress I may have caused you." He said, with a sincere tone.

"If you want to make me feel better, you can tell me what you're going to do with me! Where's Fairydramon?" Sakura demanded, remembering her injured digimon.

Piddomon held his hand up, silencing her. "Relax. I instructed Angedramon to subdue your Fairydramon, not delete her. She will be returned to you after our little appointment."

The word 'perversion' suddenly entered Sakura's brain. He was going to have his way with her! Sakura knew it! She just knew something like this would happen. _Why me?_ She thought. _I'm a good person. I obey the rules, and never act up._

To her relief that did not happen. "First, I must tell you a little story. Long ago the Digitial World was full of light. The digimon inhabitants lived in peace and tranquility under the golden god. At the time, many holy digimon reigned and served, protecting the peace. Then, the evil one came, seeping darkness into this world."

Sakura remembered this tale from the time she and the others spent with Wisemon. "Eventually, the god used his entire power to seal this evil and in the process lost his life."

"Yeah, I know this story." Sakura interrupted. Piddomon's smile returned.

"Ah! But you don't realize the most important part! The golden god defeated the evil with light, pure and beautiful!" The angel knelt down from his dramatic stand, staring back at Sakura. "And that same power resides within you."

"What?" Sakura asked, perplexed.

Piddomon stood up again, dramatically. Sakura had to wonder if his legs ever got tired. "Yes, it's quite rare that a human is so in tune with light. When I first saw you, I could sense it, but I didn't know for sure until I found this." Reaching behind some furniture among the clattered religious memorabilia, he pulled out a glowing pink sphere. Sakura gasped when she saw what it was.

"Yes, I know that this is a digicore. I sensed it as much." Piddomon admitted. The angel held it close to Sakura and it began to glow a brilliant shade of pink."Hmm...yes, it's reacting to you." Piddomon knew his hunch was certain. "Darkness is threatening this world again, and you, my dear, are the key to defeating it."

"No thanks. I'll help save this world with my friends, not you." Sakura flatly stated.

Just then, two Mojyamon entered the room. Smiling yet again, Piddomon addressed them to each side of Sakura. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter, my dear."

Saberdramon and Shiisamon flew and padded through the snow and wind. The sanctuary in the distance grew closer. "Almost there!" Jun shouted down to Sho. They had landed near the back of the building, as the distance and features of the architecture showed. They had reached the end, seeing the back and ready to make their own opening, when suddenly, a beam of light shot past the two digmon.

"What was that?" Sho exclaimed. A roar was their answer and Angedramon rose. The dragon leered angrily at the twin pairs. But what worried them the most was the digimon in his arm.

"He's got Fairydramon!" Saberdramon exclaimed. "Let our friend go, you poop head!" Shiisamon yipped.

Angedramon responded with another "Helmet Shine." Again, they dodged.

"Okay, we hit this creep with everything we got!" Jun ordered. "But we might hit Fairydramon!" Sho called. Jun had forgotten that. If she was supposed to be a substitute leader, she would have to plan more carefully.

"Err, all right. Attack but…just don't hit her!" Jun announced. A collective sweat drop came from her digimon, along with Sho and his digimon. But what other plan did they have?

The congregation had begun. The masses gathered in the hall. All the usual digimon had attended. Listening to Piddomon's sermons had become a daily routine. The angelic digimon stood on his usual podium overlooking his adoring public. He smiled and the smile did not fade when he noticed Angemon and D'arcmon standing near the doorway. In fact, that made him smile all the more. "My children, the time of darkness will soon end and an era of light will roar in like a tide!" He proclaimed. The masses cheered, then stopped at the motion of Piddomon's hand. "I have promised to be your beacon in these dark times and I have a way to make my promises come to fruition." The digimon remained silent, their eyes and ears giving Piddomon their attention.

"For all lost sheep, a shepherd is needed. My children, I have brought that shepherd!" Behind Piddomon was a curtain. It had never been set up before. Angemon and D'arcmon did nothing. They had a feeling that the moment had come where they would truly see that their fellow angel had gone off the deep end.

Their assumptions were correct. The curtains parted and revealed Sakura. She was restrained and tied to a cross. Just below her was a pedestal holding the digicore of light. The girl tried to scream, but her mouth was heavily gagged."Behold the Holy Mother! She shall be the beacon to light our way! My children, I promise you this!" What followed was the usual cheers granted towards Piddomon, but this time something different happened alongside thatthe combined cries of Angemon and D'arcmon's attacks.

"Ah, come on!" Kazuya shouted into the void that was the sky.

From the side, Gazimon blew a steady stream of cigar smoke. That was all he had been doing since Kazuya began. It was officially safe to say he would be considered a cigar chomper at this point. Not that he would mind, as he had stated before, "he knows what he likes." Kazuya didn't really care for scolding Gazimon since this was beyond the point. For the last...well, he had no idea exactly how long he had been doing this. He kept trying to imagine a way out of this place. So far, that consisted of imagining doors that lead to nowhere.

"Why isn't this working?" Kazuya complained. The goggle-headed teen ruffled his hair, making himself look like a deranged scientist, or something of the sort.

"Dude, you really have to relax." Said Gazimon, taking another puff on his cigar.

Kazuya looked at his partner, unconvinced that was what he needed for his efforts to work. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"First, calm down." The rabbit rookie responded. The boy breathed heavily. His racked his mind as to how he could accomplish that. He was currently stuck in a formless world while his friends were going through what kind of hell he didn't know. All these ideas of portals and worlds were starting to get on his nerves. _Wait...portals?_ That thought said something to him. He began to think and taking Gazimon's advice he began to cool down.

"What's up?" Gazimon queried.

"Maybe I've been going about this all wrong. I've been thinking of trying to just escape, but I've been so stressed, I haven't thought about where."

"Yeah?" Gazimon further queried, absentmindedly taking small puffs on his cigar.

Kazuya closed his eyes and concentrated. "Maybe I should focus on the place we last came from." Kazuya focused further. He blocked everything out and only focused on one place. Nothing happened, but he kept going. No matter what, he wouldn't give up hope.

Not now...not ever.

Since the digidestined had left, Primary Village had been peaceful. Not that they had brought the problem, but trouble did seem to follow the kids wherever they went. Elecmon had calmed down the babies significantly and any damages done would be repaired. One oddity remained. Near the destroyed toilet area, occasionally there was a ripple, most likely from the portal Angedramon had created. It would go away eventually, but for now it seemed to be reacting. In a particular spot right near the portal ripple, a yellow glow came from underneath. At first, it was small, but it was quickly getting larger.

Sensing its destined owner's call, it erupted and disappeared into the now open gate.

A bright yellow flash erupted between Kazuya and Gazimon. "What is that?" Gazimon shouted, fearing it may be a new enemy. The yellow light dimmed into an orb, a familiar looking, yellow orb. Glowing in the center was a symbol of a shooting star rising into the heavens. It hummed, as if a message was being sent to Kazuya's brain. "Guess my hope paid off." Kazuya replied with a smile. The digicore of hope sank into its owners chest, disappearing. The bright yellow flash returned, as space itself opened up. "The way is open. Let's go!" Kazuya shouted. Confused but understanding, Gazimon followed his partner into the open portal, leaving the world of dreams behind.

The pair landed on something hard. Looking around their surroundings, they could see it was the same inter-dimensional area they had encountered Angedramon in last.

"Oh man!" Gazimon moaned.

Kazuya held back his laugh when he noticed Gazimon's cigar and sunglasses were now gone. "Guess illusions stay in the dream world." Kazuya muttered. Up ahead, he could see the now open gate, most likely where the others were. Then it began to shrink.

"Hey Gazimon, think you can get there fast enough?" He asked, holding up his digivice.

Despite the disappointment of losing his oral fixation and his new eyewear, Gazimon smiled cockily. "You bet, partner!" The digivice glowed with the light of evolution. "**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**" The champion spared no time in revealing his form and Kazuya didn't take time to awe. He merely held onto his partner's back. "Genki Rush!" The blue aura surrounded Genkimon and the pair were off, speeding toward the glowing portal.

"Almost there!" Kazuya shouted. It seemed the closer they got, the smaller the portal became. It was a tense moment, but the tension ended when the human and digimon disappeared to the other side.

To be continued…


	31. Chapter 31

Piddomon had anticipated that his brother and sister angels would not find his way of preaching "acceptable". The oncoming "Hand of Fate" attack made that clear. No reaction came from the holy preacher, he let the attack hit him directly, but he only flew back a few feet. His brother had held back, or maybe it was the fact that holy attacks only worked well on dark digimon. The masses panicked as they saw their leader fall. This was all that he needed.

"Treachery! You see what has happened my children! The darkness has taken my two fellow angels!" Frightened gasps came from the group. Piddomon smirked self-satisfactorily. "What shall you have us do?" A Floramon called out from among the group. "Yes, please tell us!" A SnowAgumon spoke Angemon and D'arcmon were speechless in the face of such fanaticism. Piddomon had certainly spread his teachings.

"My children, flee from this place. I will personally bring back the light to my brethren!" Again as expected, the crowd fled the room. The angel pair looked up at the struggling Sakura, still confined to the cross. "Impressive, isn't it?" Piddomon suddenly asked. Angemon and D'arcmon said nothing. The red robed angel didn't expect an answer from them, so he continued. "Belief is such a wonderful thing, is it not?" The pair brought out their weapons, a staff and swords pointed to the preacher.

"At the merest utterance of a word they do whatever I say. If I had told them to fight, they would have. If I had said self deletion was the only way to save themselves..." Piddomon didn't go any further with that train of thought, he only laughed. "Piddomon, what happened to you?" Angemon asked. "Oh much, my holy brother. Much, much has happened." Replied Piddomon. "As I observed the darkness choking this island, I realized that the only way to combat it is with the light." He gestured that last remark to Sakura, who was still trying to free herself, of course to no avail.

"This girl has a strong gift with the light. In fact, I believe she may be of their blood." Said Piddomon. "Their blood?" Angemon said, in a confused tone. D'arcmon realized what Piddomon meant. "But that's impossible! There is no sure way they could have survived in the human world!" Piddomon smiled, wagging his finger in a scolding manner. "You know better than to underestimate our ancestors. They were of the holy breed, as are we. The impurities of the human world could never diminish their light."

Sakura was as confused as she could possibly be. What was he talking about with "their blood?" It didn't make sense to her. Not that any part of Piddomon's ramblings made sense, but Angemon and D'arcmon seemed to understand."And this is just the beginning! With this girl's help, we can fly amongst the ranks of the Homeostasis. This entire world could prosper under our guidance."Twin gasps escaped the two sane champions. "Piddomon, what are you saying?" D'arcmon asked. The aforementioned angel gave a look of condescension. "The Harmonious ones do nothing but observe. I on the other hand can give the Digital World a true grip of leadership." He turned to his brother and sister angels, his look changing to one of pleading. "My brethren, I ask you to join me in this." Angemon immediately stepped forward. For a moment, Piddomon thought he had reached him to understand his way of thinking.

"No." Piddomon faulted. "What?"

"Piddomon, what you are asking is insane." Angemon stated, brandishing his staff. "I ask you, please abandon this plan." A sigh came from the red angel. Both knew where the other stood. Seeing no other option, Angemon flew forward, his staff drawn. "You disappoint me." The digicore behind Piddomon began to glow a bright pink. Underneath his helmet, Piddomon's eyes grew wide. "Fire Feather!" Piddomon's attack looked much like Angemon's "Hand of Fate." The clear difference was that Piddomon's attack looked much like its name. a trail of flaming feathers shooting out via a beam of energy.

A loud cry of pain came from Angemon, as the attack hit him, sending him to the floor. His Angel Rod flew from his hands, clattering onto some awnings."Angemon!" D'arcmon cried, rushing to her fellow angel in concern. Both looked up at Piddomon who now held a smirk across his face. "Would you like to try that again?" He casually asked.

---

Angedramon felt his strength starting to grow. He and his master were linked. Whatever strength his master drew, Angedramon felt it in turn. Roaring again, he unleashed his fury at his opponents. Saberdramon and Shiisamon dodged as the wind whipped their faces. "This is really getting annoying!" Jun shouted amidst the firing of "Helmet Shines." What more could they do? They opted to evolve into Ultimates, but were wary of possibly hitting Fairydramon.

A bright flash halted the fighting. Both sides anticipated a new enemy, but they were both wrong. Two shapes descended onto the snow, a human and a digimon. When the light died, the glint of goggle glass and armor revealed themselves. "Kazuya! Genkimon!" The humans and digimon shouted in surprise and joy at seeing their companions. Kazuya grinned. "Hey guys, what's up?" He asked, somewhat casually. However, casual disappeared from the list of terms, when he and Genkimon noticed Angedramon and whom he was holding. "Fairydramon!" Genkimon charged up his aura, rushing towards his trapped beloved. It went rather quickly and in moments, Genkimon held the unconscious Fairydramon in his arms.

"Fairydramon, wake up! Come on!" Genkimon urged. Her body stirred showing she was still alive much to the Champion's relief. Kazuya sweat-dropped. "So much for our dramatic entrance." He said. At least his digimon was pining over the real Fairydramon and not an illusion brought on by lust. The angelic Champion, stunned for a few moments, then resumed his usual routine, roaring and attacking.

Genkimon was still fawning over Fairydramon, so he had not noticed. It was not the end however, for now that the mini-dragon was out of harms way, Shiisamon and Saberdramon could go all out. Jun and Sho held up their digivices. Their partner's current levels would not be enough. They had to take it to the next level. In a blue and green glow, the symbols of Friendship and Sincerity flashed on the screens of the digivices.

"**Shiisamon super evolve! Cerberusmon!**"

"**Saberdramon super evolve! Parrotmon!**"

Angedramon was taken aback by his opponent's newly evolved states. He barely had time to react. "Mad Dog Fire!" Emerald colored belched from Cerberusmon's maw. "Mjolnir Thunder!" Electricity crackled from Parrotmon's feathers. Both attacks hit Angedramon. Roaring yet again, he fell back, but he had yet to delete. The pink glow shone on his body and he soon rose.

"Miyamoto, we'll handle this!" She shouted the moment she noticed Kazuya holding up his digivice. "Sakura's inside the church!" Sho called. Sure enough, a white blip displayed on the screen. Explosions, followed by more roars followed. Cerberusmon and Parrotmon had things covered. Genkimon could see that. The armored rabbit zipped over, Fairydramon was held close to his chest. "You ready for a rescue, partner?" Kazuya asked.

"Always." Genkimon replied.

---

Duskmon felt such comfort in this dark realm. The black seas and the grey skies painted such lovely imagery. The darkness entered the very pores of his face. He could feel it strengthening him. No moon or even a sun appeared. It wouldn't make sense for such things to be there in this land, but anyone else would find it odd. Despite the dimness, one could still find their way. His arrival had brought him to the beach. The dark beach apparently was the nexus for this world, for the sea held its ruler. Just as the waves washed over the shore, so did a feeling wash over him. He drew his crimson blades, turning them around in a cross. Sparks flew as Crimson met crimson, one a blade, while the other was lightning.

Both opponents withdrew, staring each other down. The lightning and blades disappeared simultaneously, as each digimon regained their composure. "So, I see you have evolved." Duskmon spoke to the Myotismon before him. He didn't need to see the evolution to know who the digimon before him was.

Myotismon smirked. "You haven't changed at all." The vampire was referring, of course, to the dark digimon's physical appearance. As the vampire circled him, Duskmon never tensed up or prepared himself to fight. "I will admit that at this level, you could match me in strength." Said Duskmon. Myotismon's smile only grew, making him look deranged. "The darkness here is giving me strength." That comment didn't seem to faze Duskmon at all. "It is strengthening me as well."

A gloved hand placed itself on Myotismon's chin. "Yes, but I think you are holding your full power back." Duskmon's eyes grew wide at that comment. It was true, but it was disturbing that Myotismon knew that. "So, why don't you evolve?" Myotismon asked. Duskmon said nothing. He merely looked down at the sand. The vampire smirked. "Oh, I see. You hate your other form, don't you?"

Silence came from the dark digimon. Myotismon stopped circling and returned his gaze to the sea. "Despite my desire, I will not fight you." Myotismon stated. "The commands of my prince are foremost." Duskmon's eyes widened yet again. "So, it is true that the boy is..." Duskmon didn't need to finish his question. Myotismon nodded.

"I can relate. My will is my master's also." Duskmon stated. Silence followed the two and seeing no more purpose for being together, they parted ways. Myotismon remained at the sea, awaiting his prince's words to reach him. Duskmon wandered off into the creeping fog. He could strike the vampire digimon anytime he wanted, but for now, they were brothers.

---

Kazuya and Genkimon managed to reach the doorway without much problem. Angedramon had not returned to attack, so it was obvious their friends had it handled. Kazuya found it a bit funny that he grouped Jun in as a friend, but all he concentrated on was his best friend.

Genkimon still held Fairydramon to his chest. Kazuya thought about what a funny display it was. Back in that strange world, the rabbit seemed more content around those illusionary Fairydramon. Now, he seemed so protective. It was a nice change of pace from the perverted bunny he had come to know.

They reached the main hallway. No one was in sight and damage from the earlier battle with IceDevimon's demonic spawn remained spread around."Down that hall." Kazuya noted. He remembered the lay-out well. He had not been apart from it for long. "But Kazuya, what about Fairydramon?" Genkimon asked. "We can't just bring her into certain danger."

Kazuya looked at the figure of the dragon. She was in no condition to fight or be brought into battle. "Just leave her someplace." Kazuya replied, a bit urgently. An offended look appeared in the rabbit's eyes. "Kazuya, we can't just leave her here!" Kazuya realized it _did_ sound offensive. Or maybe it was his digimon's undying affection for Fairydramon. He just wanted to save Sakura and he didn't have time for this.

"You two!" A small voice piped up. Both boys looked to see Salamon plodding up to them. "Thank goodness. I could really use some extra hands." The little digimon said. "Extra hands?" Kazuya parroted. The little digimon shook her head, showing her own urgency of the situation. "The digitama is emerging!"Neither of the pair had any idea what she meant by digitama. Digitama pertained to digimon, specifically digimon babies, so... "The Biyomon!" Both said at once. Salamon nodded. "Yes, the female is having her digitama."

Confliction started to overtake Kazuya. Both needed help, but he really wanted to help Sakura. "Kazuya, you go." Genkimon suddenly spoke. The goggle boy looked at his digimon. "Besides, a man has to go after his girl." Genkimon continued. "I'll take care of mine, you take care of yours." Kazuya blushed hearing that. He didn't really think of Sakura as his girl. Or did he? He and his digimon parted ways, each leaving to take care of their own things.

---

Salamon lead Genkimon down the hall. He followed, although he could have easily outrun her with his "Genki Rush." The puppy soon brought him to the sick room where Fairydramon resided when she was recovering from her cold The male Biyomon was there beside his mate, who was breathing rather heavily. "Oh, thank goodness you're back." The male exclaimed. He halted in further words as he noticed Genkimon. "Hey buddy, time for the special day, eh?" Genkimon joyfully greeted. The expectant father raised his feathery brow. If he even had brows to raise, that is. "Do I know you?" He asked. Genkimon was confused, but remembered his appearance had changed. "It's me, Gazimon. I just evolved."

A scream came from the female Biyomon. Her breathing was labored. "Darling…it's…coming." She gasped. Salamon hopped to the bird's side, grabbing hold of her left wing with her own paws. The male Biyomon did the same, holding his mate's right with the utmost love in his eyes.

"Alright, the egg is going to emerge now, so get ready to grab it." Salamon instructed Genkimon. He did as instructed, but not before placing Fairydramon upon a nearby bed. With everything in place, Salamon kept an intent look upon the Biyomon. "Okay, now I need you to push." She instructed.

Closing her eyes, the mother-to-be pushed with all her might. Genkimon stood there, unsure of what was supposed to happen. He had never really seen a digimon birth before. To describe the birth in full length would be tedious, so a shortened version would be that it involved much groaning, cries of "push harder!", and heavy breathing. At the climax of all this, a bright light began to emerge from the Biyomon's abdomen. It grew brighter and brighter until it emerged in full, bright and egg shaped.

The light began to die and Genkimon grabbed it in his hands. It was an orange striped digitama. "It's a digitama." Genkimon announced. He handed the egg to its mother who took it with tear-stained eyes of happiness. "It's so beautiful." The mother spoke. Her husband agreed. His eyes were much like his wife's. Genkimon felt such joy in viewing this scene.

"Ohhh." A soft groan came from the adjoining bed. Fairydramon stirred slowly, opening her eyes. She didn't have much time to absorb her surroundings, as Genkimon embraced her in a tight hug. "Oh Fairydramon, my sweet honey! I'm so glad you're okay!" Fairydramon struggled in the armored rabbit's grip. At last, she managed to wriggle an arm free to punch him in the jaw. With the pain, he let go, allowing her to drop down. Genkimon didn't seem to mind. The only thing he could think was "_She's so beautiful when she's angry._"

"Genkimon, where are we?" Fairydramon immediately asked. She didn't need an answer as she saw her surroundings. More specifically, the new family "Look at them. Doesn't it make you want to experience the same kind of joy?" Genkimon suggestively asked. Another urge to harm him was held down by the dragon. "Where's Sakura?" She cut to the point. "Oh, don't worry. She's here. Kazuya went to go save her." Genkimon answered. "What? You let your partner go alone?!" Exclaimed Fairydramon.

Genkimon suddenly felt a little intimidated from the smaller creature. "Uh, well, it's a guy thing. He had to go save his girl." Fairydramon didn't understand, but that was far beyond the point. "Oh, never mind. My duty is to protect Sakura. I have to find her. If you have any sense, than you'll come with me." He was putty in her claws, even if she didn't intend it. A beat of his heart gave him all the resolve he needed. "I'll show you the way." Before the two left, Fairydramon turned around towards the two Biyomon.

"Congratulations." She said to the pair. Genkimon did the same. "Yeah, we'll have to celebrate when that baby hatches." The father Biyomon nodded and with that said and done, the two digimon left. Salamon stared at them. An odd pair, but for some reason they seemed like they would make a good couple. Something just told her that. Maybe it was the chemistry.

---

Kazuya ran down into the depths of the church. It was a straightforward path, as he remembered. Rationality made him wonder if this was the wisest choice. He was only human and had no real way of defending himself against a digimon. The doors stood before him up ahead, so there was no time for hesitation. Either it was do or die. The heroic often-impulsive side of his mind took over, and he opened the doors.

An explosion immediately knocked him off his feet. Another explosion made him rise quickly, fearing for Sakura. Beams of light flashed by, as the three angel digimon duked it out. Kazuya was not sure what was going on, but for some reason, figured Piddomon was the bad guy. On the other hand, maybe it was his personal dislike towards the angel. The thing that immediately stood out for him however, was the large cross at the back stage, and who lay confined to it.

"Sakura!" Kazuya shouted. That shout drew everybody's attention. Underneath her gag, Sakura shouted Kazuya's muffled name. Piddomon saw the resolve in the boy's eyes. He knew what he was intending to do. Angemon and D'arcmon sensed it as well and the moment they noticed Piddomon moving in to attack the boy, they made sure to prevent it.

"Go get the girl!" D'arcmon shouted, as she drew her blades. Kazuya didn't have a high opinion on religious cults, but he was thankful for the pair's intervention. Luck was with him, as he managed to make it through without being hit. Although, a stray flying chair sailed past his head. "Sakura, don't worry. I'm going to get you out!" He reassured his friend. However, that was easier said than done. Sakura shared those sentiments in her struggling.

Kazuya wasn't sure of what to do until something actually popped in there. "Hold on. I know what I'm doing." Sakura wasn't sure what he meant, but got her answer soon enough. Kazuya grabbed a hold of the cross and began to shake it. Soon, it began to topple over onto its side. Sakura gave a muffled scream as it did. With a loud _thud!_ it fell over flat. Kazuya tried removing the binds around her, but that was futile as they were very tight. So he opted to remove her gag.

"You okay?" He immediately asked. Sakura looked up at him, noting the concern in his eyes. "Yeah, but couldn't you have tried another method?" She asked. This provoked a laugh from the boy. As he laughed, she laughed too. Probably not the best of circumstances to do so, but they had a way of doing that with each other. _"Besides a man has to go after his girl." _Genkimon's words rang in his head. He stared in her eyes, his reflection showing in her glasses.

"No! You will not take her!" Piddomon's voice rang throughout the room. The digicore began to glow, Piddomon's body glowing in tune with it. "Genki Laser!" A beam of bluish light shot forth, sending Piddomon crashing right into a wall. His staff clattered and exploded into data bits. Genkimon lowered his guard. Next to him stood Fairydramon, looking very well. "Genkimon! Fairydramon!" Both Kazuya and Sakura yelled at once. Both digimon wasted no time rushing to their partner's sides. "Heh, so I see you took care of your girl." Genkimon slyly said, only to receive a tap from Fairydramon's claw.

The dragoness quickly slashed the ropes binding Sakura's hands and feet. Free, the two hugged each other. "Sakura, is that..." Kazuya suddenly asked. He was pointing to the pink orb situated on the pedestal. The bespectacled girl adjusted her glasses. "Yes, I think it's my digicore." Just then, the digicore began to glow and hum with intensity. That could only mean one thing.

"No!" From the debris, Piddomon arose like a leviathan arising from the depths of the ocean. The angels beheld a deranged grimace, turning his gaze to Sakura. "You will not take her!" Immediately, both Angemon and D'arcmon barred his path. "You must flee!" Angemon warned to the kids and digimon. Genkimon gave a nod. "I think the angel might be right, partner." Kazuya was a bit surprised at his digimon's statement, but he understood. Fairydramon concurred surprisingly. "Wait, the digicore!" Sakura ran up to the pink data orb. A flash of pink blared forth, sending the girl down with a yelp. Her digimon and best friend rushed to her side, checking to see if she had sustained any injuries. The light blared again from the digicore. "AHHH!" Sakura suddenly felt a string of pain in her chest.

Again, the human and the two digimon rushed to the girl's side. From beyond the glow, a low laughter began. Piddomon's form rose high into the air. His entire body glowed pink. So brightly, in fact, that his features were completely obscured. "Can you feel it? The darkness is coming!" Piddomon announced.

---

The seas of the Dark Ocean grew more forceful, like a storm. Waves crashed against the rocks and the wind blew. A section of the sea began to spiral and turn. Like an eye of a storm, the water parted, showing the ocean floor. The quartet of Dark Towers brimmed with darkness, transmitting to the being in the center. Chiisi...no...the undersea prince accepted the power. Darkness poured out of the sea's wound, sending it up towards the sky. In the outside world, he felt a growing power of light. He had to combat it.

---

Cerberusmon and Parrotmon were easily holding their own against Angedramon. Their partners felt a few nicks and hits, but nothing major enough to leave a mark. Angedramon's strength had grown each time his body glowed pink. At this point, the Champion's strength grew unto that of an Ultimate. "How long can we keep this up?" Sho asked, feeling his partner's weariness. Jun confidently looked ahead. "Long as we can."

Parrotmon drew his talons forward. "Don't worry, Jun. I'm not going to give up!" The bird said with confidence. Although he was sure Jun would be very displeased if he lacked the will. Sho shared in that sentiment. It seemed the longer they fought, the stronger their opponent became. "Don't worry, Sho-chan. We'll beat him." Cerberusmon's words reassured Sho.

Angedramon rose again, his body illuminating with the pink hue. However, something different happened. The monster roared again, but in pain. Slowly, his body began to distort and ripple and soon it burst into data. The particles hung in the air, then rose up. Another difference presented itself. The data flowed in a stream straight into the church. The battle was done.

"That's it?" Jun asked in disbelief. Suddenly, the wind began to blow, upturning snow. The humans braced close to their digimon. Above them, the clouds in the sky began to spiral like a storm.

---

Piddomon felt the power growing within him. Soon, the data of his fallen minion was added to his own. Angedramon would have to be a necessary loss for he felt the coming darkness. He could see the horrified expressions of his fellow angels and the other humans and digimon. "Don't fear, my brother and sister. For only I can save our souls." Piddomon proclaimed.

"What are you talking about, you freak?!" Kazuya boldly shouted. Piddomon chuckled at the uneducated human. Perhaps he needed an example. A sound like thunder came from above. Certain uneasiness came over him. Behind, he could see the girl felt it as well. Oh, how he wanted to use her to shepherd in this new age, but changes had to be made.

He called upon the power of the digicore. Mere power boosts were not enough. It was time to put the data of Angedramon to good use. The digicore glowed again. Everyone was blinded by the pink light and even himself as well. His body pained as it was pushed past its limits. Sakura felt the pain as well. Her body sank down, her heart feeling like it was gripped in a vice. The concerned cries were all a mumble to the overzealous digimon. When he felt the power had welled up to its limit, when his body felt close to deletion, he screamed. It was a cry of triumph and ascension.

Outside, the spiraling storm clouds began to part, revealing dark sky. It was unnatural, obviously not belonging to the Digital World. Something could be sensed behind it, but only by digimon and those attuned with light......it was darkness. But that feeling instantly disappeared as the light enveloped the area. Both Sho, Jun and their digimon were engulfed as well. The digidestined inside were baffled. Kazuya held on to Sakura and Genkimon held onto Fairydramon. Then of course, she smacked him.

The light eventually faded and then the digidestined were gone.

---

The prince was aghast. Their darkness had been matched in power?"Inconceivable!" Said the prince. A low growl came from Dagomon. Pride presumably was what the undersea master had felt at seeing his son usher in their age. "Yes, it appears the wretched light has batted it away." The prince clenched his fist in anger at this retaliation. "But worry not, my son, for we have opened a gate. All is not lost." The fist unclenched. "Only the battle father. Not the war."

---

Angemon stood in disbelief along with D'arcmon. The angelic pair noticed the humans and their digimon were gone, but for now, something else stole their attention. "Ah, yes." Piddomon admired his new form. His body was adorned in a flowing white robe with a belt holding it together at his waist. His wings had molded into two large ones. Not even a single trace of red colored his clothing. That was the color of death and he brought no such thing, only salvation. His helmet had extended, covering only the front of his face. Spilling out behind it, were locks of blond hair. He looked at his hands. Only they could save this world. "Now, my brother and sister, we can begin."

Angemon and D'arcmon knew they wouldn't last long against an Ultimate of this power, but they were not ones to concede to blind faith. "Tsk, tsk." Uttered the former Piddomon as the pair attacked.

---

Maia knew full well what she had done was against the rules, but what other choice did she have? Zhuqioumon most likely would attribute this to a crime. Quite honestly, she didn't care what that overstuffed phoenix had to say. Her duty was to the Digital World first and foremost and even she would bend the rules to ensure its survival. Another reason was apparent to her. These children were lost, only receiving fragments of their mission. She wouldn't reveal everything, not yet, only a few questions concerning current events in their journey. She sensed they were waiting, so she went to greet them.

To be continued….

A/N My editor finally finished this so I wanted to reupload. Enjoy!


	32. Chapter 32

The digidestined had grown very tired of the random teleporting, even the ever-kind Sakura. Every time they teleported, they landed in someplace different. For some reason, they were always asleep, except for the last few times. The room they were in now was white...blindingly white. "Okay, where are we?" Kazuya was the first to ask. Gazimon had the same question, but he kept it in his head. "Looks kind of fancy, like my kind of place." He said with a hint of hedonism.

"Okay, we get it. You like luxury." Jun spoke up. The room appeared fancy. It looked like a standard living room, with chairs, a table, and a counter. The white color of the room gave the illusion of some kind of luxurious immediately noticed something about her fellow digimon. "You've all devolved!" She exclaimed. The three looked themselves over. Indeed, they had regressed back to their Rookie forms.

Labramon's ears perked up. "Hey, I've been here before." She realized. "But how?" Penguinmon asked. Labramon thought back for proper details. "Well, it was in a dream, actually."

"A dream? When was this?" Asked Sho. "You remember when that poopy headed kitty lady kidnapped you?" Sho flushed. That was one memory he didn't want to remember. He could hear Jun snickering, although she tried to hide it."What about it?" Sho asked. Labramon couldn't understand why Sho's face was turning red. If anything, she thought it made him look even cuter. "Those Floramon gave me a lot of food and I went straight to sleep. Then I had a dream and it was right here." She explained. "Also, I remember my tummy being small in my dream, and I ate a lot." She remarked, a bit hungrily.

"Maybe whoever called us here has some sort of effect on your data or something?" Kazuya suggested. Labramon's words jogged something inside Sakura. "I had a dream like this as well." She remembered. "A couple of times in fact." Both the girl and canine recalled another detail, but that would have to wait as the door ahead creaked open. The digimon stood by protectively in front of their partners. A single figure emerged from the doorway. It was hard to see at first because of the white robe matching the rest of the décor.

Sakura and Labramon fully remembered that last detail of their dreams. "You're..." Sakura started. "Maia!" Labramon finished. Everyone's expressions fell. The mysterious Maia, mentioned several times at first, was chalked up to simply being a byproduct of a dream, but now here she was, in the flesh.

The girl walked up to the group, taking off her hood. Underneath, appeared to be a young human girl no older than fourteen. Her hair was a long brown shade and she had pink eyes.

Something about her gave off another air. The humans could not sense it, but the digimon could. It was a familiar scent much like their own...the scent of data. "Greetings Digidestined." Maia spoke and her voice held a rather adult tone. "I believe you have many questions and I am here to answer them."

Straightforward was it? Kazua knew what questions he had to ask. "Okay, why are we here? Who are you?" The questions rambled on until Maia held up her hand. "Um, not so much, please." She asked. "You already know the answer to your first question. You are here to save the Digital World."

"I think goggle-boy was asking for a less cryptic response." Said Jun. "First off, we've just been wandering around, fighting off random bad guys. Then, we have you, little miss enigmatic, just poofing us here."

"Jun, don't be so rude. I'm sure she has a reason for doing all this." Said Penguinmon. Maia sighed. "Yes, I suppose you are entitled to those questions, but in time, I will answer them."

"Why can't you answer them now? I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to get it over with?" Sho reasoned. That would make more sense. A laugh came from the girl. Humans were such an amusing race to her. "I suppose, but there is not enough time to explain everything just yet. It would be like spoiling a book and I was certain humans enjoyed waiting for a mystery."

Gazimon suddenly realized what was different about the girl. "Ah ha! I knew you weren't human. You smell like data." Maia nodded. "Yes. Like you, I am made from data, but I am not a digimon. I am simply a guardian of this world."Her expression grew somewhat stern. "However, that matters not. Now we must discuss something far more important." Her eyes shifted to Sakura. "Something I think you will have many questions about." Not knowing how, Sakura knew she meant one person. "It's about Chiisi, isn't it?"

A nod was all she needed. "Yeah, that's a big question. Why did the little shrimp turn traitor?" Asked Jun. Sakura showed discomfort, while Kazuya displayed anger. "Okay, fine. I won't say anything." Jun interrupted another possible scolding. "Do not blame Chiisi, for his soul has been corrupted by Dagomon." Said Maia.

"Dagomon?" Asked Fairydramon. "He is the ruler of the World of Darkness. That dark world that you have stumbled across." Maia directed a look towards Gazimon. "And where one of you has picked up a rather nasty habit." Maia said that in a rather scolding manner.

Gazimon proudly crossed his arms in front of him. "Hey, I like what I like. No shame in that."

"Regardless." Maia knew convincing Gazimon to give up smoking would be like trying to start a fire under water. "This dark god has twisted Chiisi into his pawn."

"But why Chiisi?" Sakura asked. Hesitation laced her face. Maia was not entirely sure about revealing that detail. Nevertheless, she had said she would answer their questions, even the ones with the disturbing answers.

"It's his birthright." Maia began.

---

Joy rang out through the sanctuary. Salvation had never felt so close at hand. The masses crowded in droves around their preacher...their savior...and at this point...their god. "My children! The day has come!" The crowds cheered at the melodic syllables of his words. "Darkness has dared to pervert our world, but I have warded it off with the power of light!"

"Oh lord, you have saved us!" One digimon cheered. Smiling, the priest raised his hand. "Yet darkness is still encroaching and in time, it will attack again."Murmurs of fear spread. His smile grew all the more, for this was the decisive factor. "Fear not, my children. I will travel into the realm of darkness myself and put an end to this." His fist raised into the air. Oh how the cheers sang to him.

Behind, Angemon and D'arcmon watched, their bodies bruised and torn, bound to crosses. Foolish it was, to think they could battle an Ultimate, even if against another vaccine type. It was the start of a new reign...the reign of Lord MagnaAngemon.

---

Disbelief lay on everyone's faces. Maia expected that. She could even see horror, even some disgust. Such feelings were evident on Sakura's face. Like a classic chiller moment, she held her hand over her mouth, as if she were about to vomit. After hearing such a tale, it wouldn't be a surprise. "Hold on, so you mean Chiisi is..." Kazuya trailed off. Maia nodded her head.

"Hold on, that's tentacle rape!" Jun exclaimed with disgust. Sho shivered. "Hearing about it is just as bad as watching."

"Hey Sanbara, you've seen hentai like this?" She asked. Immediately, Sho shouted in defense, "No! It is just...my older brother has this kind of stuff...and I sort of...caught a glimpse of it at some point." Jun crossed her arms in front of her. "Uh-huh. Sure you did, perv. I didn't think you would be into that kind of stuff." Jun wasn't really serious. "But I'm not!" Sho gave up, not realizing Jun was joking.

Labramon rubbed an affectionate head on his leg. "Don't worry, Sho-chan. I don't think you're a perv. But what's hentai?" She asked. Sho didn't know how to explain the concept of pornography to a digimon. Nor did he want to. "It's best you didn't know." He said, petting her head.

"So that's why she did it." Sakura spoke for the first time since the revelation of her cousin's birth. She knew his conception was a mystery, but never did she expect such an answer. Her aunt must have been so traumatized by the experience that she had tried to repress it, partially by not talking about it. Of course, the result of that was a failure.

"Wait, so does that mean Chiisi is half-digimon?" asked Fairydramon. "Yes, only it was dormant until now." Maia explained. "Dagomon has called that part of him out to fill with his darkness."

"What about DemiDevimon? Why'd he attack us?" Penguinmon asked, feeling upset that their friend had turned without such reason. Maia looked at the flightless bird with a comforting look. "Don't blame him While as an Ultimate, he and Chiisi are linked, so part of that darkness is tainting him as well."Kazuya watched Sakura closely. Honestly, Sakura was fragile emotionally. Nothing bad against her, but he wondered if she really could handle all this.

"Then we have to get them both back." Sakura declared. The declaration matched the look that shone in her eyes behind her glasses. "I don't know how, but I'm going to bring them both back to us." This took Kazuya and everyone else aback. However, the digimon were the first to speak. "I'm in. Besides, DemiDevimon is one of us, and since Chiisi is half-digimon, than he's one of us too." Gazimon proclaimed. Each of the digimon gave nods of approval. Fairydramon even found herself agreeing with Gazimon, although it was more for the statement instead of the mon.

Surprised at this sudden display, Kazuya adjusted his goggles. "Okay, it's decided. We get our friends back!"

A smile appeared on Maia's face. The digital girl held no doubt for such a group. But she was not finished. "There is one more thing, and this concerns Sakura." The aforementioned girl looked over. "Me?"

"Yes. Not only is the darkness out of balance, but the light is as well." Said Maia. Kazuya immediately knew what she meant by that. "You mean that creep, Piddomon!" Maia nodded. "Unfortunately, he has harnessed the very power of light itself. And I fear he will continue to pursue you as well."

"Why is that freak after Kodiro anyway?" Asked Jun. Uncertainty appeared again on the guardian's face. "Like her cousin, she too carries digimon blood."

"What?!" Everyone shouted at once. A raise of Maia's hand hushed them from asking further questions. "It was long ago, back during the time when the dark one waged war against the golden god." Maia began. "Several holy digimon felt that the forces of good would fail, so in desperation they fled to another world...your world. "How could that be possible? If giant monsters suddenly broke into our world it would certainly be in history books." Sho queried.

"Simple. They took on human forms. Blending in, if you will." Answered Maia. "Needless to say, they did it too well." Jun smirked. "So, some bestiality I see?"

"I don't think it would count if they turned into humans." Said Sho. This was all too much and Kazuya just had another question. "Does that mean Sakura is part digimon as well?" Maia shook her head and continued. "No, her blood is diluted to the point where she is not a true half-breed." She explained. "Yet, that power still remains. Few humans are in tune with light on their own."

Sakura seemed to be handling this well. At least, on her face. Inside however, she was a storm of emotions. Nevertheless, she had to remain strong. "I have told you all I can, but for now, you must go." Maia said, bluntly. The girl raised her hand, possibly preparing for a teleportation move or something.

"Wait!" Labramon called. For the moment, Maia halted and looked into the shining eyes of Labramon. "I know you, don't I? Before the dreams?" Labramon asked. The same shininess that was in Labramon's eyes appeared in Maia's. Kneeling down, she pet the top of the dog's head. "My dear, sweet Labramon. There will be a time when I tell you, all of you, more." She gestured to the entire group.

Before anyone else could utter a word, they were gone, and Maia was alone. Her business finished for the time, she uttered a prayer and put her hood up.

---

The feeling of sand immediately hit their feet. Random teleportation reared its head yet again. From the feeling of sand, they knew where they were. Seeing the dark sky confirmed it. "Okay, that Maia chick must be nuts." Jun commented. "And I'm getting sick of this random teleporting crap."

It was here she noticed Penguinmon was not at her heels. She looked up to find Parrotmon. Everyone else held the same surprise for their own digimon had returned to their previous states before being shepherded away from the fact he was in his powerful Ultimate form, Parrotmon looked around nervously. "W-why are we b-back here?" He asked timidly.

Sakura looked up, beyond to the sea. "This is the place where darkness and light will battle."

"Sakura, are you alright?" Kazuya asked, concerned. The girl didn't say anything, her gaze never averting from the water. Tiamon could sense what her partner was feeling. "It's Chiisi, isn't it?" Tiamon asked. Sakura said nothing. "Sakura please, we're all worried about you." Tiamon pleaded. The concern made her happy. "Yes, I know he's out there." She stated. The look in her eyes showed determination. "We just have to keep going until we draw him out."

The only time Sakura ever seemed this determined, was when she was preparing for a test, or scolding him. Now, it seemed like the unnatural order of the world had been disturbed. Sakura was supposed to be the kind, sweet, caring girl who was always willing to help others. Anything else, was just wrong. "You know, I admire this new attitude Kodiro. Makes you less sue-ish." Jun remarked. Sakura didn't understand the "sue" comment. "Let's just go." The group began to walk, their usual routine of a journey.

"You know, a thought just occurred to me." Jun spoke up, breaking the silence that usually followed walking. "If Dagomon got your aunt pregnant, then wouldn't that technically make him your uncle?" Sakura visibly winced. Kazuya turned around to make the beret wearing girl shut up, but Sho of all people seemed to make that happen. "Maybe you should be a little more considerate of her position. I mean she just found out her cousin was fathered by an evil digimon." Said Sho.

Understanding, Jun kept her mouth shut. The usual routine didn't follow through. Cerberusmon had noticed something. "Oh, look at those pretty lights." She said. Above them, between some gray clouds, a glint of light began to shine. Light, in this dark realm was unnatural. Everyone knew that, particularly Sakura. From what she had recently gone through, she knew who was behind it.

---

The crowd watched in awe as their preacher opened the vast portal of light. The sparkles and fragments washed over them, warming them to their very souls."My children, I have opened a pathway to the dark realm." MagnaAngemon announced. Fearful murmurs chorused. They didn't last long, for they knew that their leader would not let anything harm them. "The time has come to send a message to those dark heathens. A message that light is the superior element!" MagnaAngemon pointed to the crowd. "Now, who among you will give their data to fuel the messengers?" No one knew what he meant, but several digimon walked up. "Use us, oh lord!" A Gabumon volunteered.

Smiling, MagnaAngemon held his hand out. An orb of light formed. The group of digimon began to feel light. Suddenly, they felt the air vanish from their lungs. Angemon and D'arcmon watched in horror, as their data literally flew from them until there was nothing left. The data flowed into the orb that was then absorbed into MagnaAngemon's chest. "You bastard! You killed them!" D'arcmon screamed. Angemon was shocked at his fellow angel's outburst. He understood her feelings, but never had she used such language.

MagnaAngemon shot the female a dirty look. "My children, please leave. I have things to discuss with the traitors." The other digimon obeyed without question. When they were alone, MagnamonAngemon immediately slapped D'arcmon. "Insolent bitch! Watch your tongue with me!" He warned. "Keep your hands off her!" Angemon shouted. A smirk appeared on the Ultimate digimon's lips. "Oh, my brother, you could have joined me in this moment of glory."

"Glory?! You took innocent lives! You are no longer our brother!" D'arcmon spat. A laugh came from MagnaAngemon. "Oh, my dear sister, you misunderstand! I sacrificed them for the greater good, to sow the seeds of my enforcement." Again, the orb of light appeared in the overzealous mon's palm. The orb shot into the portal, disappearing behind it.

"Why are you doing this?" Angemon asked. A chuckle came as a response. "Now, we have been through this. I am merely ensuring the survival of the Digital World." Looking to the gate, his hidden eyes held determination. One last component was needed to ensure his rule.

---

The light glowed brighter, expanding like a portal. Even though it was light, the digimon felt cautioned by it. "Something powerful is coming out." Tiamon announced. "Think it's that digimon again?" Parrotmon replied with slight nervousness. Cerberusmon shook her head. "No. He exploded, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Still not feeling any better." Parrotmon decided. Genkimon was the only one not nervous. "Whatever it is, I am itching for a fight." The digimon each looked to their partners. The humans agreed unanimously, better than sitting around waiting for things to happen. Just then, a familiar feeling came over them. It was a feeling so dreaded that even the humans felt it.

"Leaving for the light so soon?" a voice asked. Cerberusmon began to growl. "What's wrong, girl?" Sho asked. He realized it was becoming a habit whenever she sensed something. "It's him." She growled. "So, you remember me? I'm flattered." The voice said again. The space in front of them began to ripple, as a black figure slowly began to materialize. Situated on the black, were several eyeballs. Seeing those told them who it was.

"Duskmon!" Kazuya and Genkimon yelled. Whatever expression the dark digimon held under his mask was not discernable. It was a stare down. "What are you doing here?!" Kazuya tried to put up a bold front, but they remembered how easily Duskmon had beaten them before. "Light and darkness. This is the place where they will clash. I came to witness it." Crimson blades extended out of the dragon skulls he called hands. "But since you're here, I might as well end your existence here and now." His red eyes looked over the two Ultimate digimon. "I see some of you have reached a new level. I would very much like to test that."

Jun was nearly about to answer Duskmon's call to battle, and Sho was about to think of another plan, when Kazuya and Genkimon stepped up. "Hold on, you haven't dealt with Genkimon yet." Said Kazuya. Duskmone looked over the Champion. "Technically, you already fought those two. So don't you want to see the limits of his power?" Tiamon snorted a plume of smoke, angry at not even being mentioned. She really wished she would reach Ultimate soon, but patience was a virtue. "Hmm. You have a point. You were at a weak level when last encountered and I am a very curious creature."

"Hey, I wasn't that weak!" Genkimon shouted. "He kicked you like a soccer ball." Kazuya reminded. Genkimon sweat-dropped. "Well, I've reached Ultimate now, so there!" Now Duskmon was interested. "Very well. I will cut you a deal. I will battle you and let the others go free, but if I defeat you, then I will hunt them down and kill them." A morbid deal, but no one knew how strong Duskmon truly was. "_He's trying to draw us away to safety._" Sakura realized her best friend's intention. "Everyone, lets go!" She shouted. "Oh come on. We can totally take this guy, eh Parrotmon?" Jun proclaimed proudly.

Parrotmon shivered. "Uh." He squawked. "Fine, stay here if you want. I'm leaving!" Sakura took off towards the strange light in the sky.

Not really feeling right leaving Sakura on her own, Jun and Parrotmon followed. Sho and Cerberusmon did the same. Lastly, Tiamon followed after her partner, but not before looking to Genkimon. "Don't die." She then flew off. They waited until everyone was out of the distance to start. "I want to get my killing done quickly, so please unleash your full power." Duskon requested."Aww, can't I just battle you as a Champion for a little while? I wanted to put on a good show." Genkimon remarked.

"I don't think he's the kind of guy who likes shows." Said Kazuya. Genkimon thought it over for a moment. "Okay fine, dang." He sighed in disappointment.

Kazuya held up his digivice, which now shone with the symbol of courage. Genkimon began to glow orange as the evolution began. "**Genkimon evolve! NeoGenkimon!**" In place was the Ultimate form of Gazimon. No words came between the two enemies. They decided to cut to the chase.

---

Behind them, they could hear the sounds of battle. Sakura wanted to turn back and help her friend, but she knew Kazuya wouldn't want her to. Sometimes, she wondered if he was being too selfless for his own good. Although she was not sure, she could swear that Tiamon was holding the same concern for Genkimon.

Everyone followed the light like lost travelers following the North Star as a guide. That was true for the portal of light. They had run a considerable distance before the light exploded. Several fragments splintered, landing on the ground like meteors. It reminded them all of when their digivices first came to them. The only difference was the digivices were not forming into humanoid shapes. Upon clearer inspection, the figures were not humanoid, but angelic, white and shining, with six wings on each body. In their hands, they each held sharp looking glaives. Their faces were in the open, but the light made their features hard to make out.

Jun had one thing to comment. "We're fighting angels, huh? Kind of sacrilegious, ain't it?" The angels brandished their glaives, pointing them at the group.

---

Rubble of the field upturned, as NeoGenkimon and Duskmon battled. Blade met armor in bright flashes. Neither showed signs of backing down. Kazuya's breathing was slightly labored. This connection, cool as it may have been, did have its drawbacks. He could feel every blow...every hit. "Chi Fist!" NeoGenkimon's finishing move nearly struck the dark digimon. "Putting all your might into one attack, not very smart." Duskmon scolded.

NeoGenkimon's face turned red. "Don't lecture me! You've barely struck a blow. All you've done is dodged." A swift punch to the face delivered itself. Both NeoGenkimon and Kazuya screamed in pain. "How did you get so strong?!" Both boys yelled, amidst soothing their sore noses. "The darkness gives me strength." Duskmon delivered his simple reply. That made sense, his name being Duskmon and all, and the darkness he seemed to attract.

"NeoGenkimon, don't let him get to you. Keep fighting!" Kazuya armored rabbit resumed his battle stance. He followed Kazuya's advice. Both resumed their battle, evenly matching the other. Punches and kicks followed in rapid succession, each skid across the ground. The physical way was going them nowhere, so they decided to try the energy approach.

"Deadly Gaze!"

"Aura Laser!"

Beams of red and blue clashed with each other. One's own would attempt to overlap the other, but they would always return to the middle. They intensified, hoping to overcome their opponent, but what followed was something none expected. A large explosion came, sending both flying. Neither was seriously hurt, but the level of power had been established.

NeoGenkimon rose to his feet, showing he was still ready to fight. "That's it! Keep it up, pal!" Kazuya encouraged. Duskmon began to chuckle. "What's so funny?" NeoGenkimon asked. The evil mon rose to his feet. His armor was scarred from the battle. "It would appear our power is even."

"Yeah, so?" NeoGenkimon cockily asked. Duskmon stared at his feet. "I have not been completely honest. I have been holding back."

"Eh?"

"Although I despise using this form, you leave me no choice." Duskmon outstretched his body and started to float into the air. Darkness began to encircle him. Growls echoed up from his throat. The darkness slowly grew bigger and bigger, increasing his power and shifting his mass.

At last, he announced in a voice that grew into a screech, "**Duskmon slide evolution! Velgemon!"**

To be continued…

Okay another cliffhanger. I just love to leave you all on these notes. Nothing malicious just trying to build suspense. Enjoy! And thanks for the reviews your feedback and opinions are always welcome.


	33. Chapter 33

NeoGenkimon and Kazuya stared up in awe at the newly evolved form of Duskmon. Neither knew if the other was afraid or perhaps they were merely feeling the transferred emotions. This new creature looked like a reptilian bird. Its skin was coated in thick purple armor. Black feathers spread from its dactyl style wings. Spilling behind the head was the familiar mane of Duskmon's hair, only wild and unkempt. Three eyes looked down upon the pair, glaring with no emotion.

Digimon: Unknown

Level: Unknown

Attribute: Unknown

Type: Unknown

Attacks: Unknown

"Oh, come on! He said his name!" Kazuya shouted in frustration at the analyzer. "Kazuya, look out!" NeoGenkimon grabbed his partner, dashing out of the way as fast as he could. Velgemon dove past, attempting to run down the two. Wind brushed past the boy and his digimon as the demon bird narrowly missed them.

"GRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" The roar was loud and beastly. Ear- shattering to anyone who heard. "Kazuya, get back. I don't want you getting hurt." Said NeoGenkimon. Nodding, Kazuya ran far away from the battlefield. Velgemon noticed this and was about to pursue. "Hey, you stupid bird, I'm your opponent. I thought you wanted to test my strength?" NeoGenkimon remarked with a cocky tone.

Growling, Velgemon remembered his purpose for starting this battle. Yet, the rage and animalistic mindset that came with this form demanded that the human should die. Unable to veer away from it, he dove towards the boy. "Aura Laser!" NeoGenkimon fired his energy blast right into the chest of the beast. The mindset that had dominated Velgemon now shifted to another. The blast had not knocked him far and he regained himself.

"Dark Vortex!" Velgemon announced in his shriek-like growl of a voice. The third eye situated in the bridge between the forehead and the beak began to glow. Instantly, a triangular beam of darkness shot forth. "NeoGenkimon run!" Kazuya shouted. The self-confident Ultimate didn't see the point of a feeble-looking attack. "Hey, don't worry. I can ahhh!" The attack struck him and immediately his body was wracked with pain. Kazuya knelt down, his own body reeling.

It was as if his spirit was being torn from his body. Rather, he was paralyzed instead. Soon, the attack stopped and so did the pain. Then a new feeling came over NeoGenkimon. It felt like he was flying. Then it occurred to him, he now was in Velgemon's talons.

His mind woke up as he saw the ground slowly disappearing. He wasn't sure what Velgemon was trying to do with him in this state, but he had to act fast. Regaining some energy, he started to beat on the talons, hoping to be released. Velgemon gave a few growls of annoyance, but he did not release. Velgemon then descended and NeoGenkimon was in the front. His body scuffed against the ground. His armor protected most parts…what wasn't armored…well, it hurt.

At times, he felt like his neck was going to snap from all this buffeting around. NeoGenkimon remembered one attack, but at this angle he wouldn't be able to get the full force in. "Mach Punch!" He called almost weakly. He punched the leg as hard as he could. It apparently worked, as Velgemon gave out a pained screech. Released and falling now, NeoGenkimon braced himself for impact. It didn't hurt…much.

Above, Velgemon was trying to do something about his numbed leg. Anger and frustration permeated his growls and NeoGenkimon knew that. Getting up, he knew it was time to get serious. Velgemon was on the attack again. "Don't worry, you got me with you!" Kazuya proclaimed. The boy felt similar to his digimon, a shared connection could do that.

Despite that, NeoGenkimon was not faring any better in his fight. In the hitting department, that is. Dodging wise, he was doing much better. His Mach Rush's provided the speed he needed to steer clear of Velgemon's attacks. Only by a little, though. The demon bird had the advantage of the air. He would swoop down again and again or release a Dark Vortex.

Kneeling down, the armored bunny stopped to catch his breath. "Don't stop!" Kazuya cautioned. "Easy for you to say, but I can't keep this up." replied NeoGenkimon. Kazuya knew his digimon was right. He too felt a shortness of breath. "Well then, try attacking him." Kazuya suggested. Velgemon swooped in to attack. "Now!"

"Mach Rush!" NeoGenkimon used the last bit of his aura to push himself. Punches and kicks barreled against the demon's chest. Each impact brought on a grunt. "That's it, keep it up!" Kazuya cheered. NeoGenkimon's confidence was growing. Pushing himself again, he flew around onto his opponent's back. No time for dawdling, he grabbed ahold of Velgemon's neck.

Velgemon began to bob his head up and down. Kazuya found it similar to a bucking bronco. NeoGenkimon held on tight, his grip never faltered. "Oh yeah? How about some of this? Mach Rush!" He delivered more punches upon the back of Velgemon's neck. Velgemon roared more in anger than pain. This digimon was a mere bug to him and it was time for it to be squashed. Twisting around, NeoGenkimon grabbed on tight. The ground grew closer, as his opponent descended. He braced himself, as he was run into the ground. Dirt specks hit his eyes and he spit out a few clumps. Trying as he was, his strength became spent.

His grip released. A spur of pain coursed up his spine. Nothing serious, but the sudden shock of skidding across the ground and stopping was not a pleasurable feeling. "Now it ends." Velgemon growled. He started to circle around on his side. The tip of Velgemon's left wing was scraping against the ground, drawing something. Kazuya saw it was the start of a circle. He didn't know what was going to happen, but a feeling of doom was quickly growing inside him. "Get up! Get out of the way!" Not a budge came from NeoGenkimon.

Velgemon was almost complete with the circle. Looking around frantically, Kazuya had only one idea. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Twin hearts beat, both of Kazuya and NeoGenkimon. Kazuya didn't quite understand the connection he shared whilst his digimon was in this form. Yet, he accepted it. While the digimon's energy was dim, Kazuya knew he had some to spare and decided to share it. Suddenly, NeoGenkimon felt a charge. "Kazuya?" he asked.

Velgemon's circle had just completed. "Dark Obliteration!" Dark Obliteration did not sound like a ray of sunshine attack. He used whatever energy Kazuya had given him and Mach Rushed out of the way. In a split second just when his feet left the circle, a dome of dark energy formed from both sides, closing shut. For a moment, nothing happened, but then a bright flash lit the area. A large crater lay where the dome once was. Victory filled Velgemon, but that faded as he noticed the human boy and the Gazimon lying on the ground. "How many lives do they have?" He asked himself. No matter, for they were defenseless now. Swooping in, he bared his talons for the killing blow.

"_Velgemon._" He stopped. That voice in his head, he only knew it as one.

"Master?"

"_Velgemon, let them live._" The voice ordered. Velgemon was aghast. "What?" He screeched in disbelief. "But master, I have them right where I want them!"

"_Do as you're ordered, my servant!_" Velgemon paused, his loyalty won over his desires. He descended to the ground, his shape reforming back into that of Duskmon. "Be grateful that I am sparing you…this time." Then he vanished. Slowly, Kazuya felt his energy regain. Perhaps it was due to NeoGenkimon devolving back into Gazimon, and thus nullifying the spiritual connection.

"You okay?" He asked. Gazimon rose, rather lethargically. "Yeah, you?" Kazuya nodded. Looking about the battlefield, he noted Duskmon's absence. "He's gone." A cocky snicker came from Gazimon. "What, he chicken?"

Kazuya shook his head. "No, I'm sure it was something else." Further up in the sky, he saw the strange light had vanished. "I wonder if the others are okay?" Kazuya began to move his legs up and down, trying to see if they were sturdy enough to walk. Looking down on Gazimon's listless form, he wondered if perhaps he should rest before going on.

"You mind carrying me?" Gazimon asked. "Limbs feel like jelly here."

Kazuya grinned. "Don't mind at all." His digimon hanging onto his back, Kazuya went to rejoin his team.

---

The angelic figures rose from their impacted positions, awe in sight as they were, and commanding all the same. The splintered Digidestined didn't know what to make of them. They didn't seem dangerous, they were angels and angels were usually considered the ultimate symbols of good. Except for one, that is, and the recent encounters with a certain angel had disrupted the stereotype.

Brandishing their staffs, they spoke. "By order of our lord and creator, we have come for the maiden of light." Their voices could best be described as androgynous. It held the deep masculinity of a man's, but the subtle sweetness of a woman's.

Although there were two girls, four if you counted Tiamon and Cerberusmon, Jun knew they were not talking about her. "Maiden of light" didn't seem to fit with her, at least she thought so. "I think they are talking to you." Jun said to Sakura. The girl struck a defiant pose, showing she wasn't about to let herself be taken. Tiamon stood out in front and at her sides, the other digimon and partners showed they were not about to let another one of their own be taken.

"Defiance, then thou must be judged." The angels announced. They ran their staffs over the group, but only the digimon. They halted upon Parrotmon who gave a small squawk of fear. "Thou art pure of sin." Parrotmon blinked in surprise. Free of sin must be good. "Yet, if ye decide to impede, then ye shall be destroyed." The angles warned.

Parrotmon felt happy. "Guess that means I don't have to fight." A feeling of dread came over him. He didn't need to be told that Jun was glaring at him. "Okay, scratch that." The feeling vanished, as Jun was pleased. The angel's staffs scanned over Tiamon. Yet there was a different reaction. "Warning! Thou art guilty of the sin of wrath!" The angels no longer sounded calm, but were instead direct and scolding.

Tiamon couldn't fathom how she could have been wrathful. Was she ever? Remembering back on all the times, she recalled any given situation with a certain rabbit. "Oh come on! You try dealing with a pervert." Smoke poured like a fountain from Tiamon's nostrils, as she tried to excuse her anger. Then, she realized exactly what she was doing.

Lastly, the angel's staffs scanned Cerberusmon. The dog awaited them, but felt like she couldn't possibly hold any sins. "Warning!!!" Cerberusmon gave a confused whine. "Thou art guilty of two sins! Envy and gluttony!" Looking down in both disappointment and shame, Cerberusmon whimpered. "Hey, we're not all perfect." Sho reasurred his digimon. He certainly hoped the angels didn't scan him or the other humans. Not that he felt like he held any sins.

The angels didn't scan the humans, for they had analyzed the sins and were prepared to do their job. "Ye who hath corrupted souls! Ye shall be erased from this existence!" Plumes of smoke poured out of Tiamon's nostrils. The only thing missing was the sound of a teakettle boiling. "Where do you get off decreeing things like that?! We may have our faults, but that does not give you the right to destroy us!"

"Please control your anger." Cerberusmon pleaded. "They already said we're corrupted." A vein popped in Tiamon's head. "I am in control!" She angrily exclaimed. Another snort steamed out. "Corrupt indeed." With an angry cry, she charged forward into the quartet of angels. "Ember Claw!" The fire attack only hit sand. "Above you!" yelled Sakura.

The angels hovered above. From their staffs, they fired a beam of energy. The beams struck Tiamon, making her glow a beautiful white. However, it wasn't so beautiful to the dragon. Pain wracked her body as if she was a piece of paper being torn apart. "Don't hurt my friend!" Cerberusmon yelled. "Mad Dog Fire!" she breathed a stream upwards to the angels, but they dodged out of the way swiftly.

They turned, zipping around to strike the hellhound. Then, she got an idea. "Inferno Gate!" The dome of dark energy spread, engulfing all of them. This was her turf now, so Cerberusmon deduced she would win. Another emerald blaze prepared itself, when the entire dome was filled with light. Soon, she was back on the sandy shores. "Arf?" Cerberusmon said in a confused whine. "Foolish beast of the dark, light always overcomes darkness." The angels zipped around, striking the dog with their staffs. It didn't hurt much, for her armored plating protected her. Still, it was annoying.

"Ganging up on one isn't very honorable, is it?" Tiamon curtly asked. Her plan had worked, for two of the angels directed their attention to her. On the sidelines, Parrotmon watched, unsure of what to do. On one hand, those were his friends fighting, while on the other, the angels held no beef with him. The feeling came over him again. He could feel Jun glaring at him. He could see the looks of concern Sho and Sakura held for their partner's well being. He knew what he had to do.

Spreading his wings wide, he dashed forward. "Sonic Destroyer!" The force of the attack sent a shockwave of sorts into the air. The angels flew back, fazed for the moment. The moment passed and the angels were back in their original stance. "So, thou hast decided to side with the corrupt ones." the angels declared. "They're not corrupt. These are my friends!" Parrotmon declared. He struck a fighting pose, as did Cerberusmon and Tiamon by his side. The angels then resumed their attack. For the most part, they attributed their great speed, making for hard targets.

Orange and emerald flames, coupled with electric bolts, shot past. Each time they missed, the angels would retaliate with their own energy blasts. "This is getting us nowhere!" Tiamon's frustration was starting to grow at her enemies' speed. She resorted to using her Ember Claw attack, not that it was doing any better.

Cerberusmon and Parrotmon attempted the physical tactics, but met with the same result. The three of them were not beat, not yet. So long as they were breathing they would keep fighting. However, breathing was getting heavy. With all the dodging and exerting their attacks, it became apparent to what the angels were trying to do.

"They're tiring them out!" Sho realized. Sakura and Jun looked surprised. They too soon understood what the light warriors' intentions were. "That's pretty clever, making sure their opponents are weak enough, then go out in full force.

Sakura didn't know what to do. Should they keep fighting or give up? All this was about her, so maybe she should just give herself up to spare everyone else. It was a conflicting matter and she didn't know which to follow.

---

A battle was ahead. Kazuya and Gazimon could sense it. The rabbit still hung onto his partner's back. Kazuya's speed had increased. His stamina obviously had recovered enough for him to move about. Light flashed on the approaching horizon. "Can't you go any faster?" Gazimon asked with impatience. "Hey, I'm moving as fast as I can. Maybe I would go faster if I wasn't carrying you." Kazuya retorted. Gazimon placed a paw upon his forehead. "I'm still feeling faint from the battle." he excused. "Now hurry up! My sweet honey may be in danger!" A sigh escaped Kazuya. "What about everyone else?"

"Eh, they'll be fine." Gazimon dismissed, thoughts remaining on his beloved Fairydramon. The pair reached the end, the point of a cliff. "There's everyone!" Kazuya pointed to their assembled companions. On the side, there indeed was a battle. The digimon were fighting what appeared to be angels. "For some reason, this doesn't surprise me in the least." commented Kazuya.

Gazimon kept his focus on the battle, but rather more on one digimon. Tiamon, watching her every movement was like reading good poetry in Gazimon's opinion. The poem however, suddenly became a tragic one. The angel figures moved about as the dragon swiped and breathed, but together they struck her right upside her chin with an uppercut.

Gazimon's heart began to burn. They were harming her, his beloved. Whatever feeling that was lost in his legs started to return. He let go with a drop and without warning, he announced aloud to the world. "NO ONE TOUCHES MY SWEET HONEY!" Kazuya's eardrums nearly burst form such a proclamation. Everyone below looked up to see a gray blur speeding down towards the battlefield.

"Gazimon!" Kazuya called after, but he tripped and tumbled down the hill. Nothing serious for it was a downward slope. The softness of the sand cushioned his fall. Nevertheless "Ow." groaned Kazuya. "Kazuya!" Sakura was the first to run up to the goggle-headed boy. "Are you okay? What happened to Duskmon?"

"Answer one, I'm fine, and answer two, I don't know, he just took off." Kazuya replied. "Weird though, he had us right where he wanted us."

"Whatever, right now we've got more pressing matters, goggle-boy." Jun interrupted. It was obvious she was referencing the angels and Gazimon. The pervert rabbit had jumped in, breathing a few Electric Stun Blasts with little effect. "Hey, get away from my woman, freaks!" Gazimon boldly proclaimed. "Woman?" Another little vein popped in Tiamon's head.

It seemed the angels were unimpressed at this little Rookie before them. He had attacked them, but first they had to pass proper judgment. Their staffs pointed to him. Their reaction came quick. "WARNING! EXTREME SIN LEVEL!" they cried.

Gazimon felt too stunned to speak. "Thou art guilty of the sins of lust, greed, and pride! Ye must be eliminated immediately!"

"W-wait a moment!" Gazimon stammered, then ran. They angels followed, their energy blats trailing behind. Gazimon smelt something burning, and looking behind him, he saw a small flame had lit up on his tail. "YEEAAH!" He screamed. This running continued almost like out a of a slapstick comedy. It ended when Gazimon reached the rocky wall of the beach. With sand and a bit of stamping, his tail fire was quickly put out. That didn't help with the angel situation. The deleters of sin loomed ominously. A gulp sank down Gazimon's throat.

"Gazimon!" Kazuya yelled with concern. Although she didn't understand why, the same concern welled up inside Tiamon. Her eyes searched frantically for a way to save her fellow digimon. The angels seemed like they weren't going to move away any time soon. Suddenly, an idea hit her.

"Cerberusmon, Parrotmon! Attack!" Tiamon announced. Cerberusmon and Parrotmon looked to each other and an instant later, twin cries of "Mjolnir Thunder!" and "Mad Dog Fire!" rang out. The attacks molded and flowed together. Before they could react, the angels were shocked and incinerated into nothing. Gazimon blinked a few times before pinching himself to see if he was still alive. He was.

"Gazimon!" Kazuya called again, this time happily. He ran after Gazimon to join his partner and his partner did the same. They ran towards each other with happy gazes on both their faces, and then a second before they met, Gazimon passed Kazuya and went straight to Tiamon. "My sweet honey!" Kazuya fell flat on his face. "Oh my darling, I knew you cared for me!" Gazimon latched onto Tiamon's leg. "This will be an excellent story of love to tell our future children." Gazimon's mouth filled with sand instantly.

"Hands off, rabbit!" Tiamon snorted. Yet upon her scaly face was a blush and in her heart she felt relief towards Gazimon being safe.

---

The waves and water churned, as the prince silently stirred in his anger. Light, that accursed word used by the forces that impeded their lovely darkness. "You are troubled, my son." Dagomon sensed his son's emotions. Slowly he turned, bubbles arising to the surface. "Father, they have halted our plans."

"Worry not. The gate has been breached. Our forces can spill out into the world." Dagomon reassured. "But Father, the light shall come against us!" The prince proclaimed. This was true, and the Dark undersea master knew this. "I anticipated something like this." Before the prince could question his father, a flash lit up between them. Even in the depths, he could see it was a black light comforting him. Focusing his eyes, he could see the source of the light was coming from an orb.

"This was in the waters bordering File Island. Yet its connection to darkness allowed me to draw it to our world." Dagomon explained. The orb floated away from Dagomon and to the prince. "Consider this a birthday present from me, my son." Slowly, the orb made its way to the prince, stopping just in front of his chest. The power brimming from it was in tone with his very soul. In the center, a symbol shone forth. From its appearance, it looked like a bat outstretching its wings. Yet at the top, it held two markings, like leering eyes and the wings formed a mouth.

"Use this to gain power in order to crush our enemies." Dagomon instructed. "The light?" the prince asked for re-clarification. "Yes, but also the digidestined." The digidestined……hearing that raised confliction within. Especially towards one who shared his blood. "One of them has a strong connection to the light. She must be erased if we are to succeed." Dagomon explained.

The confliction increased. He knew whom his father spoke of, Sakura. Dagomon picked up that confliction. A mental frown wounded his brain. Maybe the prince shared his father's clairvoyance, because he then forced the conflicting feeling down into oblivion. Dagomon's frown changed into a smile. Feeling the conviction, the digicore made its way to its rightful owner. Joining its brother knowledge, the power coursed through Chiisi.

"Darkness." He whispered in both calling and declaration. He called it all to him, his body filling to the brim with power. When it had reached its peak, he let out a yell which mixed with Dagomon's laughter.

---

The sea began to churn and bubble, like a stove heating a pot. At the shore, no one noticed. All were too busy planning their next move. Currently, they were stuck on what to do next. "So, now what?" Jun asked. "Beats me. I don't see anything else to do." Kazuya admitted.

The leader was at a loss. Nothing but bleakness and danger covered this world. Suggestions came about, some good, some bad. Gazimon covered the bad suggestions, for his mostly pertained to finding a probably non-existent hotel, his mind still on his vices. Cerberusmon's usually pertained to getting food. The one that held the most importance was finding Chiisi and Myotismon. Easier said than done, for their corrupted teammates could be anywhere.

Sakura held this thought the most. That concern vanished as a new feeling replaced it. It was dread. The foreboding emotion washed over her, as the waves over the shore. "Something's coming." She announced, clutching her chest.

The waves and water continued to bubble. Sakura knelt down, feeling ever more uncomfortable. Around her, she could feel Fairydramon and Kazuya at her sides. She never looked away from the sea. Darkness, it was growing. Why did it make her feel so? Her lineage was of light so maybe that's why. Her mind went back to Chiisi. Both cousins held digimon in their blood, but of two different universal elements. The feeling continued as black shapes rose to the surface. From the yellow eyes and the frog-like bodies, it was the dwellers of the deep. They swam slowly, making their way to shore.

"Those things again?!" Sho exclaimed. The digimon looked ready to defend their humans. Only a few were coming, so what could happen? The moment that question entered their heads, more black shapes began to rise. How many there were they didn't know, hundreds or perhaps thousands. Whatever the number, it was numerous. "Maybe we should run." Parrotmon suggested, his feathers shaking with his talons.

The other digimon were not as frightened as their cowardly companion. Yet drained as they were from the previous battle, they fled. Up the hills and cliffs, they climbed. For those with fully evolved digimon, it was an easy task, but Kazuya and Gazimon had to hitch a ride. Making it up without worry, they kept on. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" A voice halted their steps. Their eyes darted, searching around.

Then from the sky, a black shape descended. Duskmon was the first reaction but a flap parted away the black to reveal a blue suit. "Greetings, my old friends." Myotismon smiled with his glistening fangs. The shine of possession remained in his eyes. Torn reactions came from everyone present. They knew their once teammate didn't come by to chat and were inclined to attack, however hesitant.

"Just get out of our way. We don't want to hurt you." Tiamon warned. Myotismon's head bobbed in laughter. "What makes you think you can hurt me?" Tiamon, Cerberusmon, and Parrotmon stepped up, knowing a fight was on. Kazuya had to hold Gazimon back. "Where's Chiisi?" Sakura immediately asked. "My prince is testing some new wings. so to speak, but don't worry. I'm here to keep you all entertained." A flick of the wrist extended a long whip of Crimson Lighting.

He flew forward, his smile devious. Then in a sudden flash, a bolt of light landed between the two opposing sides. First reactions were abundant today. Images of the angel attackers filled their heads. When the light cleared, a different image displayed itself. "Who the hell are you?" Myotismon asked, growing disturbed by the radiating light. "I shall not give my name to the likes of you, defiled one!" The robed angel declared in a rather over the top fashion. A reading of the digimon analyzer revealed.

Digimon: MagnaAngemon (Robes)

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Angel

Attacks: Gate of Destiny, Magna Antidote

"Alright, a holy digimon!" Sho happily exclaimed. Sakura and Kazuya did not hold the same sentiments. The proud voice and the crack of a smile gave them all they needed to know. Myotismon didn't care who it was. Mainly because he never met the angel before and well, he was an angel. To the vampire that was reason enough to kill him.

His other wrist flicked, creating another whip of Crimson Lightning. He dashed forward, floating off the ground. MagnaAngemon did not flick his wrist, but something extended…a purple energy blade. He moved, followed by a sparking flash. Myotismon held a shocked look across his face as his whips steadily disintegrated by the holy blade. A cross slash followed by a jab sent Myotismon reeling. "You dirty angelic filth!" Myotismon spat. A cocky laugh, smooth as silk came from the angel. "I am of the holy type and you, the dark." MagnaAngemon explained. "The light fuels me, making me stronger ever still."

Myotismon's rage grew, blinding his mind. "Grisly Wing!" The flock of bats came forth and in a few slices, they were gone. A pain wracked against Myotismon's side. However, he too grew from his own source of power. Or rather, his prince's source. "This isn't over." He hissed. Darkness surrounded him and then he whisked away to rest and recuperate.

MagnaAngemon called his blade away, disappointed that he was not able to do away with the vampire. Amongst the group, he saw mixed reactions, some were grateful, while others were suspicious. The goggle-boy and the girl looked the most suspicious. "Ah, my dear, how are you?" he asked.

Kazuya stepped in front of Sakura protectively. "Stay away from her, Piddomon!"

"You know this guy?" asked Sho. Kazuya nodded. "Yeah, this guy had Sakura tied up like some kind of sacrifice!" The grateful looks changed to surprise. MagnaAngemon chuckled "I do apologize for that, it was really more for a show. And its Lord MagnaAngemon now." he added with another spurt of pride. "Sounds pretty sick to me." Jun declared.

MagnaAngemon shook his head. _Such a fine lack of understanding_. "As much as I would like to enlighten you, I require the girl." The digimon and the humans stood in defense, ready to defend their friend. "Over my deleted body." Tiamon said flatly. "Please, I implore you. Surely you sense the growing darkness?" MagnaAngemon pleaded. "She is the only one who can stop it!"

Still, they did not move. "I see." MagnaAngemon ascended upwards. Drawing his blade again, he made a circling motion. A trail of light followed, solidifying into polished stone. Within the hole of the circle, a gate formed, etched with arcane symbols and writing.

"Now, all of you fade within the Gate of Destiny!" The gate instantly opened, revealing an endless void. The wind began to blow, as the gate began to draw them in. Everyone stood their ground in front of Sakura. "Woah!" Gazimon yelled as the wind caught him. Luckily, Kazuya grabbed him by the tail. The larger digimon formed a sturdy cover, but slowly, they skidded toward the gate. All this was for her. Sakura couldn't let the others die just for her sake. This may have made her seem like a damsel in distress but right now, she didn't really care.

"Wait!" She called amongst the suction sound of the wind. "If I go with you, will you leave the others alone?!"

"Sakura!" Kazuya and Tiamon said at once. MagnaAngemon heard and smiled. "Of course, my dear little light-bringer!" Sakura made her way to the front. As she did, the wind stopped, as the gate closed. "Sakura, you don't have to do this." said Kazuya. His eyes held concern for her. ""Don't worry. It will be fine, I promise." Sakura replied with a smile. She looked to Tiamon, directing that statement to her as well.

The dra mon thought of anything to talk her partner out of this, but the girl's will was strong. She gave a hesitant nod. Reluctantly but set, she walked to the angel's side. With a prideful smile, they vanished into a beam of light.

They were gone. Kazuya knelt down, his fists clenched. He slammed them both as hard as he could, ignoring the pain that throbbed through them. "Dammit!" He cried loudly and with loss.

---

The dark void……Duskmon had traveled through it more times than he could count. It was more than just a travel way, it also was a place of solace and tranquility. For now, it served as a source of questions. "Master, why didn't you let me kill them?" He asked to the void. "Do we not want darkness to reign?"

"_My darkness, not Dagomon's._" A voice answered like a whisper. "_The digidestined must be the ones to restore the balance Dagomon has disrupted._" Duskmon quickly understood. "They are your pawns."

"_For now._" The master answered. "_When my revival is complete, I shall disrupt the balance with my own hands._"

The master had spoken and the servant obeyed.


	34. Chapter 34

Anger was an understatement of Kazuya's feelings. The pain in his hands disappeared. His feelings did not. First Chiisi, then Sakura…it was nerve-racking. "Hey buddy, you alright?" Gazimon asked in concern. Kazuya faced his digimon. "Do I look okay?" he asked in a low voice. "Uh no, but cheer up pal, we'll get through this." Gazimon tried to reassure his partner.

The boy's face stiffened. "How am I supposed to cheer up?!" Kazuya suddenly shouted. Gazimon stepped back from the outburst. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but Kazuya's rage directed itself to another. Tiamon sat with her head down, not saying a thing, and she remained so even after Kazuya's words. "Why didn't you do anything?! Sakura's your partner! You could have stopped her!"

The atmosphere was growing more hectic, even in this dark realm. Sho didn't need light powers to sense it. "Kazuya, calm down. It's not Tiamon's or anyone else's fault." Sho attempted to calm him. "How do you know that?!" Kazuya spat. "You don't know…you just don't know!"

A low growl made its way out of Cerberusmon. "Hey, don't yell at Sho-chan! There was nothing he could do!" Cerberusmon realized what she had said. "Not that I am calling you useless, Sho-chan." Sho nodded knowing what she meant. "The same goes for you! You're an Ultimate! You and Parrotmon could have fought him off!" Kazuya shouted more vehemently.

He breathed hard and heavy, looking around at those he had verbally lashed out against. Gazimon felt hurt, but no hatred towards the boy. He only looked on sympathetically. His mind cooled, but his feelings stayed the same. Everything was turning glossy. His throat felt choked, as if someone was constricting his windpipe. Then he let it out. The tears streamed down his face and a few tiny sobs hiccupped out. "I hate this place I want to go home." He announced.

Jun was the only one who remained silent, no sarcastic quip, no snotty retort, only silence. At last, she walked over to Kazuya. "Miyamoto?" Kazuya looked up, only to see Jun's fist connect with his face. He was hit so hard that he fell to the ground. Everyone stood, shocked and surprised at what had happened. "Jun, why did you do that?!" Parrotmon asked, shocked. "Relax, I know what I'm doing." Jun replied.

A loud cry alerted her, as Kazuya came up running. He had regained himself quickly. He didn't taste blood, but it still hurt. Rage reheated his mind, making him forget the old rule of never hitting a girl. Not that he considered Jun a girl anyway. He swung forward with a punch, but he only hit air. Jun grabbed his arm, bending it back in a swift motion. Sho was familiar with this as he had seen her tactics used on others and himself. Kazuya reached for her with his other arm, but she easily pinned it back. The boy felt pain as the older by one-year girl made him kneel down.

"Listen goggle boy, you think you're the only one affected by this?" She asked. Kazuya didn't respond. All he tried to do was free himself from her grasp. So far, he was not doing very well. "I can understand that it's hard right now, but everyone here needs their leader." said Jun. "I never asked to be a leader." Kazuya replied. More pain shot through him as Jun pressed hard. "Well tough! You're the leader, so you have to toughen up!" She continued to press, hoping she could get her point across. "When we first came to this world, you were one of the first to jump at the chance. Every time something like this happened you always pulled us together."

Kazuya listened to her words. His struggles subsided somewhat as he recalled all they had been through. "B-but I don't know what to do from here on out. I couldn't save Chiisi or Sakura." he answered. "Like any of us could." Jun replied. "But you know what? Shit happens."

Shit happens. Somehow, that was what was needed to be said. Jun released Kazuya allowing him to get up. Simple as what the girl had said, it held a point. That, and Kazuya believed if she continued to pin him in that position, his arms would break off. Looking around the group, he saw the sadness remaining from what had happened. Sakura and Chiisi were their allies and in time their friends as well, so Kazuya was not alone in this pain. Chiisi may have been corrupted against his will, but Sakura made her choice so everyone's lives would be spared.

Kazuya bowed his head. "I'm sorry." He apologized. Gazimon was the first to accept. "Hey, I'm always with you buddy, even when you act like a jerk." Kazuya smiled and nodded. Then he turned to Tiamon. The dragoness still held a saddened expression, most likely towards the loss of her partner. But even she turned a head and nodded in acceptance. Everyone else followed in suit.

Indeed, Kazuya was the leader fate had apparently deemed him. Now all he needed was a plan of action. A growling from Cerberusmon acted as a warning. "You sense something, girl?" Sho asked. His digimon growling and himself asking was becoming a routine. "Bad smell. It's coming." She snarled.

Ahead in the distance, they could see an approaching blackness. Amidst the black, there was a sea of yellow. The creatures marched in perfect alignment. All eyes went from them to Kazuya. It was time for a leadership decision. Kazuya considered his options. There was really nowhere to run in this world. No matter where they went, the denizens of the dark would hunt them down. "Okay, we stand and fight!" Kazuya announced. He hoped it was the wisest choice.

---

The halls of the church greeted Sakura. She hated constantly being captured, but apparently, "damsel in distress" would be her calling. Then she reminded herself she voluntarily came. She found her logic questionable sometimes. Reasoning said it was for the best. If she had not gone with the deranged angel, he would have harmed everyone.

"You made a wise choice, my holy light." MagnaAngemon said with adoration. His hands reached out, perhaps to brush and stroke her hair. Sakura recoiled back, giving him a defiant look. The room had not changed much. Except for the two crosses center stage. She gave a gasp when she saw both Angemon and D'arcmon tied to them, each one looking fatigued from battle.

"Ignore them. They are traitors to the light." MagnaAngemon dismissed. From her position, D'arcmon snarled. "The only traitor is you." Her only response was a slap to the face. "You call me traitor?! I who brought the light to us! I who can save this world!" MagnaAngemon ranted, raising his fist again. "There has to be a balance of light and darkness! One can't exist without the other!" Angemon cried. This only infuriated MagnaAngemon. His raised fist changed its trajectory to another.

"Please just stop! I came so you wouldn't hurt anyone!" Sakura pleaded. MagnaAngemon lowered his fist. "Why yes, of course. I did say I wouldn't harm anyone, didn't I?" A glint of pink shone in the center. Sakura didn't know why she failed to notice it before. On a pedestal was that pink orb. Not an ordinary orb as she quickly realized. She had seen enough to realize it was a digicore. "Now I just need you to touch this dear. Both hands now." MagnaAngemon instructed. Sakura's eyes became lost in the pink glow. "What will happen?"

"You share the blood of our ancient brethren. You hold a strong control over the light." The orb shimmered again. "With its power, you can eradicate the darkness that threatens this world."

"Don't listen to him! He's merely using this power for himself!" Angemon warned. "Keep your mouth still!" MagnaAngemon spat. Sakrua felt the light drawing her forth, yet she resisted. She could save her friends, but she had a feeling that what Angemon had said was true. "Listen not to their heresy. Can you really leave your friends defenseless?" MagnamonAngemon knelt in close to her ear, whispering softly and gently. "The flesh being stripped from their bones…their cries of agony…can you live with that?"

No, she couldn't. She didn't trust MagnaAngemon, but she couldn't leave everyone down there. Their digimon were tired from fighting and who knew how long they would last? With reluctance, she placed both hands onto the digicore. "Aaahh!" Burning pained seared through her palms. It was as if the orb suctioned her hands to it. Pink light filled the room as the pain spread to her entire body. She tired to move, but her feet were glued to the floor. Within the orb, an image of an eight-pointed star shone. Right before the light washed over him, MagnaAngemon smiled. Soon, the light would be his and he would be a god.

---

Rushing headfirst into battle……maybe it wasn't the best choice. They were vastly outnumbered, but that didn't stop them from attacking. All the digimon, save for the Rookie-leveled Gazimon, fought. Kazuya had to hold his partner back from the approaching chaos, despite his complaints. "Why do I have to stay behind?!" He sulked. "You need more time to rest." Kazuya replied. The rabbit continued to sulk, crossing his arms defiantly. "I could handle them."

"I seriously doubt that." Replied Kazuya. Kazuya didn't have a doubt of faith in his digimon, at least if he were a Champion or an Ultimate, but at this point it was safer to allow the higher leveled ones to handle this. Tiamon burnt all she could with her fire breath. They crawled and swarmed all over her body, digging and clawing into her. Her scales provided armor. Out of everyone, she seemed to be displaying the most ferocity. After all, her partner was in the hands of a religious nut job. That, and these monsters had inflicted enough terror on their lives to warrant their destruction.

Cerberusmon and Parrotmon had requested one thing. Neither of their partners would sync up with them. Their reasoning was simple…if the battle got out of hand they didn't want their partners to share any pain or fatigue. Fatigue did not apply to the dark dwellers. Like with Tiamon, they swarmed over the two Ultimates. "Eww, get off, get off!" Parrotmon squawked. The creature's skin felt watery and cold to the touch. "Sonic Destroyer!" The rush of air managed to shake them off, but it brought him into another swarm.

"Mad Dog Fire!" Cerberusmon's emerald blazes burnt as many as she could, but for some reason, her attack did not spread as far as she could. "I don't get it." She gave a whine. Sho seemed to echo her thoughts. "I don't understand. They should be winning."

"They would if I was there." Gazimon retorted. Everyone ignored him, for Jun was the first to see why they were not winning. "They're tired. Even at this strength, they can't keep this up." Kazuya started to regret the order to fight. He almost gave the order to run, but Gazimon let out a yell. "My sweet honey!" Several of those creatures swarmed over Tiamon, blocking her sight and holding down her wings.

"That's it! I'm not sitting around while my love is torn to pieces!" Gazimon proclaimed, rushing into the battle. "Gazimon!" Kazuya called after him. "Don't stop me, Kazuya! I'm going after my girl!" Although Kazuya doubted Tiamon viewed herself as Gazimon's girl, he understood where the rabbit was going. Memories of what his digimon said to him in the chapel came back. He too had rushed into an unknown situation to rescue someone he cared about and Gazimon was doing the same. Already he had reached Tiamon and was attempting to get those things off of her.

However it wouldn't last, they would need a miracle. Then it came. A bright light shone in the sky, halting everything. Everyone looked up and they could not believe what they saw.

---

Myotismon let the waves take him. His gloved hand still held to his side. The wound still roared with pain. Fighting against a digimon of that type would be suicide. "Damn!" He cursed. As much as he wanted to fight, he would wait and nurse himself until he was healed. Already, he could feel the pleasurable feeling of tearing angel wings from flesh. The pain coursed again, throbbing and burning like fire. He held his side tighter and tighter until…there was no pain at all.

"What?" Removing his hand, he noticed that his wound was gone. "You can thank me for that." Myotismon turned around at the familiar voice. For a moment, surprise etched his face, but it sank into a bow. "My prince." He groveled. "It is time to end this." The prince spoke and even under the sea, a demonic echo laced his voice. Fitting, for his altered appearance, he found.

"Am I going to kill the angel?" Myotismon asked, evilly. The prince looked up. "Perhaps, but for now I need you to take care of the other. I will deal with the forces of light." Myotismon complied with another bow of the head. "Okay, but save me the angel." Both smiled at each other and commenced with the attack. The day light and darkness would battle had come.

---

The light spread over the dark sky at an existential rate. Comforted feelings were not included, for they had seen enough of light to leave a bad taste in their mouths, and they were not even denizens of this world. The digidestined didn't know what to really make of this. Was it another attack? Or was it aid? They believed it was the former more than the latter. The digimon held a different idea. They were feeling strengthened. Their lost vigor began to grow. "Hey, I feel funny." Cerberusmon said, as she bolted up. Sho felt a twinge in his soul, as if he and his digimon were synchronized again. "Cerberusmon?" he asked. He looked up to the growing light. "Guys, do you feel that?" He asked the other digidestined.

Kazuya and Jun did, as they too felt the growing feeling. Gazimon and Parrotmon felt it as well. Tiamon, even though her partner was who knows where, also felt stronger. "I feel incredible!" She exclaimed, stretching her wings out widely. Parrotmon felt the same, stretching his wings out far and wide. His cowardly demeanor seemed to disperse in an instant. "Sonic Destroyer!" He cried.

The deep ones were shocked by the sudden emergence of the light. It burned them, cursing their existence. Recoiling back from their victims, they failed to see the giant parrot heading toward them. The force of the Sonic Destroyer sent them flying like bowling pins. The remaining ones looked on in shock.

"Oh yeah, I'm awesome!" Parrotmon squawked. He put his talon to his beak, surprised at his own exclamation. Jun was as well, but the soul twinge stung inside her. Both she and Parrotmon placed a hand and talon over their hearts. "You feel that too?" asked Kazuya. Jun nodded. Looking up at the light, any thoughts of suspicion about that source flew away. "Sakura?" Kazuya asked to the sky.

"Hey Kazuya, how about cranking it up, here?!" Gazimon called. The deep ones had resumed their attacks, yet Gazimon was fending them off more proficiently. A little Rookie defending himself was well and good, but an Ultimate would be a higher level of fun. Smirking, Kazuya held up his digivice.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**" The evolution didn't stop there, the symbol of courage shining within the digivice told so. "**Genkimon super evolve! NeoGenkimon!**" The evolved rabbit wasted no time in assaulting his opponents. "Take that! Come on, is that all ya got?" NeoGenkimon was able to strike a pose in between punches. The poses appeared to be meant for Tiamon's eyes only, but it only brought on a sweat drop from her and Kazuya. Kazuya didn't understand why his digimon didn't just use his normal attacks.

"Just being a showoff." Kazuya realized. For Cerberusmon, that could also be applied. Now that she was back in full fighting form, she could possibly impress Sho. Oh, how she wanted to show off in front of him…the praise he would give her sent her heart a flutter. The monsters surrounded her and she prepared another Mad Dog Fire.

"_GRRRRRRR!_" The growl came from out of nowhere. Cerberusmon knew it was no beast, it was her stomach. Ah yes, it had been a while since she had eaten anything. It was curiously odd…filling her belly was high on the tier of her favorite things.

There had to be a way to satiate it. Her eyes scanned over the ground, looking for any source of food. Her eyes stopped at the deep ones. Sniffing, she was sure they were not digimon. Slowly, she licked her lips and then she pounced. If they could emanate emotion, it would've been shock. Yellow eyes looked up wide, as one of their own slid down the digimon's throat, as a bulge.

Cerberusmon licked her lips, tasting the flavor. "Yummy! Salty with just a hint of spice." Cerberusmon declared. Smiling hungrily, she continued her little meal. "Now I know she's back to normal." Said Sho, as he sweat dropped.

Tiamon being the only Champion left, hid her envy well. Her strength was sufficient that she didn't need to evolve any further, at least for now. She longed to reach the next level, but in order for that to happen she would need her partner. Rage burned over the envy at her partner's absence. Once this was over, she would personally rescue Sakura.

"Tiamat Flame!" The fires burned over the deep ones. There was no escape from a dragon's anger. Fire, lightning, physical attacks, and appetite were winning the battle. Quickly, the deep one sensed it was becoming a losing battle. However, their orders were to fight and they would obey even if they died. At least until another order entered their brains.

"We obey, our prince." They chorused. Just as they had appeared out of nowhere, they vanished. NeoGenkimon stamped his foot, as the creatures retreated. "Running away?!" He exclaimed. Then, like a child, he pouted. "Man, I wanted to kick their butts." From behind, a loud burp startled them, causing everyone to stand on guard. When they saw it was Cerberusmon, they lowered their defense. "Those guys were pretty good, but I'm still hungry." She said.

Now that the danger had seemingly passed, the humans joined their digimon. "You were great, pal!" Kazuya commented. NeoGenkimon swelled with pride. "Yeah, I was." Tiamon snorted, slapping her tail upon the ground. "We can pat ourselves on the back later. All that matters now, is finding Sakura."

Kazuya knew how she felt. With the fight over, it was time to rescue Sakura. "Easier said then done, lizard." Jun immediately said. It was true. "But what about those monsters?" Parrotmon said, with a slight whine. NeoGenkimon dismissed it. "They left, so what about them?"

The parrot looked off into the direction of the sea. "You heard them, their prince called them." Prince? That could only mean Chiisi. "Guys, look!" Sho shouted to the sky. Above, the light began to solidify, forming into a structure. Shining brightly, for who knows how many times. When the light cleared, a familiar building hung suspended in the air.

"The church!" Everyone exclaimed. Indeed, in the sky was the ice sanctuary hovering above, shining brilliantly like a beacon. The church long had left a nasty impression upon them that such a statement needed to be repeated. This appearance was attributed to MagnaAngemon, but for Tiamon it meant only one person. "Sakura!" She exclaimed, flapping into the air.

"Stop her!" Kazuya called. The other digimon grabbed the dragon, holding her down. Tiamon struggled and squirmed, trying to free herself. "What are you doing?! We can rescue her!" Kazuya shook his head. "I know, but we weren't any match for MagnaAngemon. We need to think of another way."

"I'm sorry, but that won't be necessary." Everyone turned in surprise. In front of them, a mist began to circle. When it was done, it blew away, revealing a digimon. Unfolding his cape, Myotismon grinned. "Greetings, my friends." He said, mockingly. Although once their ally, the group took on defensive stances, knowing his soul had been corrupted by darkness.

"Oh, quick to the point, I see. Sorry, but I can't allow you to proceed." Myotismon stated. "The prince shall deal with the accursed light ones." The vampire clenched his fists, forming another Crimson Lightning. "And he has graciously allowed me the leftovers." He said, threateningly. Up in the skyline, a lone figure approached the church. Being on the ground as they were, no one could see who it was. Yet they had their suspicions.

"Chiisi." said Kazuya. It was a statement, not a question. Looking at the ready stances of the digimon, he knew whatever plan they had originally would have to wait. Tiamon held the same idea, even if rescuing her partner was the most prevalent part of her mind.

"Well, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Kazuya declared. Myotismon's grin darkened. He had been waiting for this. "Excellent! Prepare to die!"

---

Pain still coursed through Sakura. It would not leave, but she was able to tolerate it, amazingly enough. Maybe it was her own strength growing, but she managed to hold on. "Don't give up, hold it!" MagnaAngemon said, more demanding than helping. Angemon struggled in his confines. "MagnaAngemon stop, this will kill her!"

MagnaAngemon didn't want to listen. All that mattered was his plans. Suddenly the dreaded feeling came. His smile twisted into a scowl. "So, the darkness has decided to show itself." he stated. Amidst her discomfort, Sakura raised her head. "Darkness?" she asked, then she felt it, too. It was coming…a very powerful source, but behind it she sensed a familiar presence.

A tormented confusion appeared on her face. She was confused and MagnaAngemon knew he could use that. "Yes, my light. The darkness has arrived. Only you can put a stop to it." Part of Sakura told her it was all up to her, but she hesitated ever more. "What are you doing? Think of your friends below and all the innocents in this church." MagnaAngemon reminded her.

Her eyes widened. Lives were at stake and her caring personality won over her mental sense. The symbol of light shone within the digicore. The pain was vanishing and she knew why. It could sense her feelings and it wanted to join its intended recipient. Like so many times the other digidestined had done in the past, Sakura pulled her second digicore inside her.

As it entered her body, she glowed a brilliant pink, matching the core, and then in a flash, she was gone. "Hmmm…hee hee, haaa haaa! Yes, finally light shall overcome the darkness and destroy this sin of a world!" Ecstatic was the angel. Certainly, with her battling the darkness, both forces would destroy each other. With her and the darkness out of the way, he could claim the girl's power from her corpse and add it to his own. When that happened, he would become more than a homeostasis. Godhood would be his. Angemon and D'arcmon uttered a silent prayer, both for Sakura's safety and for their former brother's soul.

---

Sakura felt light as a feather, despite the power flowing within her. Even the fact that her body was aglow didn't seem to bother her in the least. "So, you've come." Sakura looked ahead to see a hooded figure floating towards her. She didn't have to ask to know who it was. "Chiisi."

Both cousins started intently at each other. Neither of them said anything. This path had been set before them by fate. They couldn't fight it, for fighting destiny would only result in being crushed. Chiisi was the first to make a move. He discarded his robe with a rip, sending the tattered cloth floating to the ground.

Sakura gasped as the former boy's form had changed yet again. Still he held the appearance of a man, but his features appeared far more demonic. A pair of horns sprouted up from his forehead, black as ebony. The markings that etched against his skin appeared more menacing, like an evil face was staring back. Speaking of skin, she noticed his had a shininess to it, almost elastic looking. His hair was matted down against it, brushing over his eyes ever so slightly. His pupils were now a blood red color.

Outstretching his hand, black tendrils began to rise up from the sea, twisting and turning together. Amidst the black, there were traces of yellow. The Deep Ones would give up anything for their ruler, even their form. The tendrils jutted into Chiisi's skin, imbedding themselves deep. Sakura gave another gasp as she noticed blood started to seep out. It wasn't red like a humans…it was black like ink.

Hesitation halted the resolve she formally held. Chiisi saw that and decided to strike. Immediately from his palm, tentacles split open the skin. Sakura held up a hand in a feeble defense. She didn't want to fight her own cousin, but the boy she grew up with was gone. Light was the only way to combat darkness.

"_Why this…why me?_" she thought. In the back of her mind, she uttered a prayer, pleading for aid. She didn't want to do this alone. Surprisingly, someone answered. "_Do not fear, child of light._" The tentacles recoiled, as a light wave struck them.

"What?!" Chiisi said in confusion, it was here Sakura noticed his voice held an echo. A demonic tone was mixed in with his normal voice. That didn't concern Sakura, it was the other voices that caught her attention. "Who's that?" she asked, aloud. In the back of her mind, she heard the voices again. "_We are the beings of light that keep watch over this world and the balance._"

Sakura blinked. "Homeostasis?" the word came to her instantly. "_Thou who art of holy lineage. As darkness has aided itself thou was do so in turn. Picture a form and duel. But carefully tread for only kindness can overcome._" the voices finished and they were gone. Sakura tried to wrap her mind around that last part, but now dueling seemed more important. Quickly thinking back, she recalled all the images that were associated with light.

Meanwhile, the tentacles started to form around Chiisi's arm. The prince wasted no time in striking again, but just before he could, Sakura chose a fitting form.

In another flash, in a long string of repetition, her form grew and altered. It happened so fast that Sakura didn't feel a thing, and when it was done, she got a good look at herself. Eight wings, white as snow, had sprouted from her back. Her lavender ensemble molded into a short pink dress just going past her hips. She stared at her hands and saw that her fingernails had been replaced by claws. Sakura then looked down and saw that she was barefoot, but her toenails had also hanged into claws. She felt a swishing behind her and saw that she now had a long pink tail. Her hands went up and that's when she felt the spiraled horns atop her head. The only thing missing was her glasses. She knew that she would be a furries dream come true…at least, probably.

"This is bizarre." she muttered. Why she looked the way she did baffled her but she theorized it must have something to do with the digimon blood that rested within her.

Looking at his cousin, the prince realized something. "So, you have aid as well?" A chuckle parted from his lips. "No matter, it won't do you any good." The tentacles wrapped around his right arm, twisting into a speared point. Sakura's mind never got rid of the hesitation, but she tried her very best to hold it off, as she prepared to fight.

---

"Crimson Lightning!" the whips struck whatever they could reach. As his prince had increased in power, so did he. The other digimon could see that. Than pain they felt, told them enough. "How can we beat him?" Parrotmon whined. Although he had entered with a renewed vigor, he was quickly regretting it.

"Grisly Wing!" the swarm of bats emerged from the cape. "Look out!" Tiamon cried. Everyone dodged, but it didn't matter, for they merely ended up fending off bat bites. "Aura Laser!" NeoGenkimon shot his beam, incinerating a group of the bats. That didn't stop Myotismon from sending out more.

Cerberusmon snapped at the winged rodents, trying to add more guests to her digestive tract. She caught one, but it ended up biting her tongue. "Ow, Ow!" she whimpered "Mad Dog Fire!" Cerberusmon tried her hand, only creating a repeat performance from the vampire.

Myotismon laughed at his former companions tactics. "I can keep this up all day, my friends." He always added the friend part with a mocking tone. The humans stood by on the sidelines watching this. Their digimon had instructed them to not sync up. It was making them all feel rather useless.

"Is anyone else sick of just standing around?" Kazuya asked, impatiently. Sho and Jun held the same feelings, but their digimon knew what was best in regards to protecting them. Like before, Sho was the first to stray his eyes from the fight. His eyes fixated above, as if he was the one destined to point it out. "Guys, look!" he shouted.

"This going to be a recurring thing with you, Sanbara?" asked Jun. "Just look up!" Sho ignored her comment for the most part. Knowing she was just nitpicking at every reoccurrence or odd feature. A bright flash hit their eyes as a new figure had entered above. For Kazuya, this held urgency, for he could tell somehow who it was. As darkness had approached, this call was to light, and like Chiisi was associated with the former, the latter fit only one person.

"Sakura!" he called. Jun stared back in disbelief. "You sure?" she asked. "Just a gut feeling." responded Kazuya. His gut would be right and Tiamon sensed it as well. Both the boy and dragon were concerned about Sakura's well being and whatever she was doing up there was beyond them. However, this struck something within the goggle headed boy.

"I can't just stand around! I have to do something!" Kazuya declared, closing his eyes. Sho realized what he was trying to do. "Kazuya, what are you doing?" He didn't exclaim a lot. "Sho, it's the only way! Our digimon are getting creamed and Sakura is up there doing who knows what." said Kazuya.

"Huh, Sakura?" Sho looked up, squinting at the figure of light above. "Is that really her?" Jun rolled her eyes. "Geez Sanbara, Miyamoto just announced it like seconds ago." Ignoring her yet again, Sho watched his leader synchronize his mind and body with his digimon. Sho would have done the same, but memories of the past battle played in his head. That, and the bruise he received. Kazuya didn't hold any fear, for his concern was to those important to him.

NeoGenkimon had gone with the direct approach against Myotismon. The vampire traded blows with him. Even with armor on, NeoGenkimon could feel the connected strikes. Suddenly, in the back of his mind, he felt a prick.

"_Mach Rush!_" NeoGenkimon didn't have any better idea of what to do except to perform his attack. Charging up with his blue ki, he cried out "Mach Rush!" Myotismon proceeded in his physical onslaught, yet for some reason, he felt a little overwhelmed. Then, to his great astonishment, the rabbit's fist connected with his nose.

Recoiling back, the vampire tasted blood against his lips. He licked it up quickly. He was a member of the undead after all. NeoGenkimon stood dumbfounded. "K-Kazuya?"

"_Yeah it's me._" the voice in his head answered back. The Ultimate blinked. "What are you doing? I told you to keep out of this!"

"_Hey, if you're fighting then I'm fighting too! After all, you want to impress your girl, right?_" Kazuya mentally said with slyness. NeoGenkimon looked over at Tiamon and smiled. He wanted to win this battle and gain Tiamon's heart with that feat. Even though he was concerned for his partner, rational thinking told him that he couldn't win this fight without Kazuya. Relenting, he allowed his partner to join with him.

Myotismon flapped his cape, preparing to end the fight. "Nightmare Claw!"

NeoGenkimon remembered this attack and so did Kazuya. Both had an idea on how to stop it. Both boys reeled their fists back, and in a combined voice they cried "Chi Fist!" Despite it really being a finishing move, it proved useful in disrupting the paralyzing attack.

His fist collided with the Nightmare Claw and instead of the usual result, not a speck of grey colored NeoGenkimon. Myotismon's eyes widened beneath his mask. The other digimon were equally as shocked, for they had not been faring well on success lately. "Everyone, synch up with your partners. Don't be afraid. We need them and they need us!" NeoGenkimon called to his fellow mons.

A bit of hesitation appeared on everyone's faces, yet after looking back, then towards Myotismon, they knew what had to be done. "Okay, I'm in!" Cerberusmon declared. "Sho-chan, lets kick booty!" Sho wouldn't have said the word "booty" but he shared her sentiments. Closing his eyes, Sho felt Cerberusmon's heart and he joined with it.

Jun didn't need a declaration from her digimon. "You better sync up with me, otherwise I'll make you do it the hard way." Jun said, cracking her knuckles. Parrotmon gulped and complied. Tiamon, still being a Champion, could not synchronize with her partner. However, Sakura was with her and she was with Sakura. That was all she needed. "You really know how to motivate a girl, rabbit." she muttered.

Myotismon felt the combined power from the trio of Ultimates. Growling, he did not relent, even if his pride was starting to become wounded.

---

Sakura's first reaction was to attack, but in defense only. If she had stood by and done nothing, then Chiisi would have killed her. The half-breed swiped his clawed hands, creating an arc of dark energy. Swiping her own claws, Sakura countered it. A wave of light dissipated the dark energy. She felt such power, yet didn't want to release it.

Growling like an animal, Chiisi flexed his wings and flew at the girl. Seeing him coming, Sakura did the same, minus the growling. Both their claws struck. "What's the matter? Are you scared, cousin?" Chiisi's eyes shone with a mad glint. Sakura was unsettled both by the look and question. Something came up in her throat, but it disappeared. "That's always been your problem. Too timid and weak!" His claws raked against her cheek.

"Ahh!" she cried. She could feel the warmth of blood dripping down. Probably due to her digimon inheritance, she slashed back.

Her claws raked against flesh and drew blood. However, she had only succeeded in a mere scratch. Holding his hand to his cheek, Chiisi traced it hard, wincing in pain slightly at the touch. "Heh heh, ha ha hahahahahaahah!" Chiisi laughed. "So, this is the strength of light?!"

The prince giggled and laughed like a lunatic, rolling his head back. "Oh cousin, do I have to kill you before you fight me seriously?" Sakura stared defiantly at the transformed boy. "I am not going to fight you, Chiisi. I can't."

"You can't?!" Chiisi snarled. "Cousin, we are of light and darkness, two forces forever at war."

"But must they always be? Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin." Sakura pleaded. Another arc of dark energy followed. She batted it away, but it was a close call. Chiisi then lolled his head back again, the tentacles of deep ones around him fluctuated and the many yellow eyes focused on him.

"What's that, Father?" No voice came. The swarm of yellowed-black pulsed. Sakura stood by, watching in horror. Chiisi smiled at that, his teeth showing fangs. "Oh yes, my father tells me many things, about your lineage and mine."

For the first time in awhile, Chiisi seemed almost calm. "I envy you. Your birth was planned and loved. Mine, however…" he trailed off shortly, then continued. "Now I see why my mother took her own life, she couldn't bear to see the child that was forced upon her."

"Chiisi."

"Look at me!" his wings spread wide, his pupils dilated and the deep ones gave off a shriek. "Do you see? I am a wretched spawn! An accursed one destined to walk in the dark!" Lashing out again, he reached for his cousin. She raised her hands, but didn't fight back. She grabbed both his wrists, shocking even him. "I'm not going to fight you." she stated. Their eyes met and they stared at one another in silence. A few seconds later, Sakura loosened her grip and Chiisi freed himself. Flying backwards, his eyes never left hers, even as he attacked again.

---

Slowly, Myotismon was loosing his patience. He sent wave after wave of attacks, from Crimson Lightnings to Grisly Wings. He always did it in that order. In his mind, he thought this could be a means of confusing his opponents. Retaliation came from the other digimon. "Ember Claw!" Tiamon stepped up, not letting her lack of evolutionary level hold her back. "Mad Dog Fire!" Cerberusmon breathed a steady stream of flame. Not able to stand the heat, the bats exploded into bits of data.

Not even a glint of sadness for his fallen minions came from Myotismon. After all, he could always make more. What was infuriating was how they were able to withstand his attacks. In their first battle, he practically mopped the floor with them. His only guess was the battle above. It didn't make sense, his prince was sharing his strength……strength, that was it! True, he was receiving a power boost so to speak, but his prince's attention was divided, so only a marginal fraction was being sent to him.

It was unsure if the humans or their digimon knew and really no one cared. All that mattered to them was that they were winning. Parrotmon charged up and in a rush cried, "Sonic Destroyer!" Myotismon was then knocked back but in a blue blur NeoGenkimon immediately delivered the next strike. "Mach Rush!" Myotismon could have sworn he bounced a bit, as he hit the ground. Additionally, he thought he heard a crack. On the ground, his gloved hand felt a small hairline crack against his mask.

"You can keep getting up if you want, but we're going to beat you back to normal." NeoGenkimon declared. Fangs showing, Myotismon spat out some blood. "Oh trust me, you're the only ones who are going to be beaten." The humans watched, some with worry, some with pride. Jun was among the proud. Actually, she was the only one who looked proud.

"Dang, our digimon sure are kicking ass." She watched amazingly, as Parrotmon fought. The little coward never ceased to amaze her. "All my digimon needed was a little push and shove." She commented. "What are you talking about? You pretty much threatened him into fighting." Sho added his own comment. Jun only shrugged. "Hey, whatever works."

"But if they keep this up, they'll kill him." said Kazuya. No one wanted to kill Myotismon. "Our digimon wouldn't do that." Sho argued. "Maybe not, but I can sense it. Myotismon isn't going to give up fighting anytime soon, so they have to up their attacks as a result." Kazuya stared at his hands. Being synched with his digimon, he could feel every feeling. Jun and Sho felt it as well. Right now, a miracle was needed to avoid any unintentional destruction.

---

"Why won't you fight back?!" Chiisi said, as he threw attack after attack. More bruises dotted Sakura's skin, blue and purple, but she refused to strike, merely defending herself. Chiisi was growing impatient. "I won't fight you." Sakura declared each time he asked.

That was the last straw. Chiisi decided to go all out in his next attack. The tentacles flared up and his hair flew wildly, as he descended towards her. Suddenly, something unusual happened. Sakura made a move. Rushing forward, her hands reached out, but not in an act of aggression. Her feathered wings fluttered open, causing several of them to fall. Light emanating from her claws, she grabbed hold of Chiisi's wrists yet again.

"Chiisi, stop this! I can't stand fighting you!" Sakura declared. He wrestled in her grip. For a moment, he looked at her eyes and that is when he noticed the tears. "I always knew there was something odd about your birth, even dark. But I didn't care." she sniffled. "You were my cousin…no, more like my little brother. My parents didn't care either, because you were family."

His struggles started to lessen as she continued. Those eyes brought back memories of the past. Back before all this started. "It kills me to see you like this. I know deep down you're suffering about what you are, but no one cares. To all of us you're still Chiisi."

Light started to shine forth from her wings, spreading to her claws. Then, abandoning all fear, she embraced him in a hug. "Please come back to us!" The light spread forth, filling the entire sky. The deep ones surrounding Chiisi writhed and shrieked, but soon fell silent. Chiisi felt a slight burning, but he accepted it. Slowly, layers of darkness peeled away.

Down below, Myotismon stopped. Confused but wary, the other digimon halted. Holding his head back, Myotismon let out a scream. A mist of darkness rose from his body, solidifying into a cloud with the shape of a face. The cloud shrieked, then vanished. Finished, Myotismon collapsed.

Blinking once, then twice, NeoGenkimon commented. "Climactic or anticlimactic? I can't tell." Everyone else shrugged.

---

The whole sanctuary shook violently. Everything was falling over, including a pair of crosses holding a certain pair of angels. Immediately, Angemon and D'arcmon took this chance to loosen their bindings. Anger filled MagnaAngemon. This anger was not at the pair of recently freed angels, but at a certain girl.

He felt the power growing from her. Light was overcoming darkness, but not in the way he had hoped. ""She's not destroying it, she's merely casting it off!" the overzealous angel declared. Teleporting away, he was now on the outside. Looking around, he caught sight of the girl. "There you are!" he snarled.

His sword extending, he lunged. He had grown impatient. No longer would he wait for her to bring about his destiny. It was time to put it in his own hands. "Now I claim what is mine!" Yet to his shock, the girl remained unharmed. The same could not be said for him. A surge of energy crackled through his body, growing more painful each second.

"W-what?" he asked. Then, the light spilled forth from Sakura. It covered MagnaAngemon entirely. All around, his robe became tattered and his mask began to crack. "_MagnaAngemon._" a stern sounding, but silent voice called to him. His holy senses told him who it was.

"Homeostasis." he managed a smile. "_You have attempted to disrupt the balance of light and dark and claim it as your own. This will not go unpunished._" At last, his mask fell away, revealing a beautiful blond man. His clothing burned away, striping him naked. The Homeostasis had denied him from their ranks, but to him, the light was the most lovely image in the world. "So……beautiful!" he croaked, as he faded into oblivion. The light spread, covering everything. Then with a sonic boom, it was gone. No longer did the Sanctuary shine in the sky……it had been sent home.

Below, the group uncovered their eyes. "Geez, these light shows are getting repetitive." commented Jun. Kazuya kept his goggles lowered over his eyes and kept them still, as he saw a descending, glowing shape.

He and Tiamon focused their eyes and their hearts leapt. "Sakura!" they both exclaimed happily. Sakura landed softly onto the surface. No longer did she have the appearance of the beast-like angel, she had reverted into her normal teenage form. In her arms, someone slept. It was a blond haired boy no more than eleven, clad in a black ensemble. Sakura gave a smile at the sleeping form and held that as she saw her friends approaching. Kindness had beaten back the darkness.

---

Under the sea, he fumed. Dagomon sensed it……his son no longer held his influence. "I will not stand for this!" he declared, as he commanded the seas to churn and storm. The digidestined would realize the folly they had made in angering the lord of the dark realm.

To be continued….

A/N: One more chapter ends the Dagomon arc. Will the digidestined survive the angry papa squid? Find out next time on Digimon Beginnings. Okay, that sounded corny, but if I remember correctly, the dub announcers held a certain corniness to them. Hope you have enjoyed and don't worry there will be action and a certain evolution next chapter.


	35. Chapter 35

Slowly, he opened his eyes. His mind was fuzzy and held a great deal of disorientation. Was he dreaming, he wondered? His vision blurred as the images formed. "He's waking up!" The first voice was a female. He recognized it. When his eyes fully adjusted, he immediately got a color of blond hair much like his own. More people gathered around him, followed by several larger creatures. They too, he recognized.

"Hey, you alright?" One asked…the one with the goggles. A scoff came form the other girl. "Couldn't think of another way to break the ice? I mean the kid just got back from trying to kill us." Kill? He shot up immediately. That was a mistake, as his legs wobbled and he fell over into the arms of the blond girl. She looked over him then spontaneously embraced him in a hug. This confused him for a moment, but slowly it dissipated.

With tears in her eyes, Sakura looked at her cousin. "Welcome back, Chiisi." she said. Chiisi? Yes, that was his name. Everything was becoming clearer. "Sakura?" He asked with a slight hesitation in his speech. Unsure if he had gotten it right. The older girl nodded, showing he was correct. Looking over the group he recited all their names in order from right to left. "Sho, Jun, Kazuya." Then looking to the larger creatures, the digimon, he recalled their pre-evolutions. "Gazimon, Labramon, Penguinmon, Fairydramon."

He sensed that someone was missing. Frantically crawling, he half stumbled to an unconscious figure, a vampire. "Myotismon!" he cried, shaking the digimon…his digimon. "Don't worry, he's not dead." Tiamon reassured. "I think the darkness has left him." Cerberusmon raised her head, sniffing. "Yep, no bad smell anymore." Darkness was another word that strung at his memory. All of it came back to him. Fighting, corruption, revelation, those were the best words to describe what had transpired…what he had done.

His feet no longer felt like jelly. Raising his hands to his face, he began to shake. "Oh god." He said, quietly. Sakura could sense the pain within him. Darkness called to him like the light called to her. Sakura assumed it granted them a full connection. "Chiisi, it's okay. You weren't yourself." Chiisi couldn't understand how she was so forgiving. The atrocities he recalled were great, at least by his standards. Or maybe he was just being overly dramatic. That was understandable due to the mental rape he had been through. Hands falling to his side, he looked at the group, scanning them over. There was no hate in their eyes, only relief and welcome.

Seeing nothing else to do, he lowered his head in a bow. "I'm sorry." The boy who was one again known as Chiisi apologized. Jun's eyebrow rose up in an unimpressed glance upon hearing that apology. "That's it? You can't give a little more?" Kazuya shot her an annoyed glance. "Hey, he said he was sorry!"

Crossing her arms, Jun stated her reasoning. "Hey, I just think after all we went through, we deserve a little more than 'I'm sorry.' " However, amidst that apparent complaint, there was a small smile. "But I'm glad to have you back, Kodiro number 2." Sho was next to speak. "Glad you're not trying to kill us anymore." He said that trying to sound a bit humorous. Chiisi didn't feel any better, but he knew Sho meant nothing by it.

Looking over the assembled digimon, Chiisi knew it was their turn to speak, each giving their own say. "To save everyone here from repeating, on behalf of all the digimon here, I just wanted to say, glad to have you back." said NeoGenkimon. Cerberusmon and Parrotmon seemed disappointed, as they didn't get a chance to speak. Smiling broadly, NeoGenkimon crossed his arm over his head. "Well, now that we've kicked serious bad guy booty, I say we party long and hard." A gleam shone in the hedonist's eyes. "Personally, I am going to smoke and drink till all sense has left my body." Turning his eyes over to Tiamon, his glint shone brighter. "And maybe get a little smooch for being so great?"

Snorting a plume of smoke, Tiamon turned her eyes upward. "And it starts. Why does he have to remind us constantly of what he likes?" Kazuya wearily sighed. NeoGenkimon lowered his eyes at his partner. "What's wrong with repeating what I like?" He motioned his head to Cerberusmon. "Everyone keeps saying how much of a glutton she is, so I don't see any problem mentioning how I enjoy pleasures."

Cerberusmon cocked her head to the side in confusion. She still didn't understand what was so wrong with loving to eat. "The problem is that your idea of pleasure will leave you with bad lungs, bad liver, and a sore cheek." Kazuya said in a scolding manner. Under her breath, Tiamon mumbled, "I can assure the last part." Kazuya grew serious for the moment. He could sense an argument brewing and he didn't want to get into that. "Well, before we do anything we have to find a way out of this place."

No one had an answer for that one. Finding their place in this world was always by chance and not good chance. "What about Chiisi? I mean, he's chock full of darkness." Said Jun. "After all, it's in his blood." She spoke that last part without really thinking how others feelings would be affected and Chiisi was definitely affected. His bloodline was the last thing he remembered and it made him feel sick. Sakura felt the link of feelings reverting between them. She walked towards the boy in concern whereas Chiisi went the other way seemingly amidst his own feelings. Prodding deeper, she wanted to find out the sole thing that was causing this discomfort.

"He's coming." Chiisi suddenly said. Sakura had prodded deep enough, Chiisi was not recoiling from them. The sick feeling Chiisi felt now passed on to Sakura. Tiamon saw her partner's eyes full of fear. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

"We need to run!" she exclaimed. But it was too late. The ground erupted, as columns of water sprang forth, jutting upwards like geysers. All the digimon gathered close to their partners in protection. The land split apart and began to drift into separate land masses. It was as if the entire world was crumbling away. "Stay close to me, Sakura!" Tiamon yelled. Sakura did just that, grabbing hold of the dragon's leg. However, when she saw the space between her and Chiisi starting to crack, she reacted. "Chiisi!"

Chiisi looked up. The brief shockwave had knocked him down. Myotismon stirred just briefly, but did not awaken. Chiisi's hand reached out to shake him, but switched the moment he heard Sakura's voice. With fright in his eyes, the young boy reached out to his cousin. "NO, HE IS MINE!" a demonic voice bellowed, as the land finally split apart. The largest geyser ever sprang up between the two, causing droplets of water to fall like rain.

"W-what's going on?" Sho fearfully asked, staying close to Cerberusmon. The hellhound began to growl deeply. Sho didn't even have to ask "What's wrong girl?" and Cerbersumon didn't even need to say what kind of smell it was. Every digimon felt the overwhelming presence of darkness. The only humans who could sense it were Sakura and Chiisi. The water parted away, revealing a large shape. It was squid-like in appearance, but with a demonic visage instilled. It became apparent to everyone who it was. From what they were told, there was nothing else for them to think.

"Dagomon." Kazuya said, quietly. He was in awe at the size of the monster.

Looming over them, the dark undersea master narrowed his red eyes at the group of children before him. "I think papa squid is mad." Jun commented. Looking about the landscape, Parrotmon shivered. "I'll say." he whimpered. Sakura felt deeply disturbed by this darkness she sensed. It was greater than Chiisi's. Chiisi couldn't move, his fear was too great. Dagomon could sense the fear in his son and it made him happy.

"You fear the darkness again, my son." said Dagomon with an apparent tone of disappointment. Not even that concerned vocal could make his voice anymore soothing. Chiisi remained still. Normal as he was now, he couldn't shake off his returned fear towards the darkness, and his father. Sakura stood in a similar position as her cousin. This thing was Chiisi's father. Her mind was absolutely shocked at the very idea that Chiisi could have been spawned from this thing. Not only that, this monster was what drove her aunt to kill herself. Her state upon returning to the Human World was understandable. Who wouldn't go insane after being raped by such a being? Slowly, she reached for her digimon analyzer to scan over this creature.

Digimon: Dagomon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Aquatic Beast Man

Attacks: Forbidden Trident, Infinite Tentacles, Thousand Waves

Finished, she nearly dropped the device when Dagomon turned his head over to her. Tiamon bared her teeth and claws, ready to defend Sakura at all costs. "I don't hold you responsible, my son. Light has driven you away from my dark embrace." The darkening of his tone indicated to Sakura that she was the light. Turning back to his progeny, Dagomon reached out with his multi-tentacled arm. "Come, I shall make you a part of me again." Chiisi recoiled back, his hands reaching for Myotismon.

"Over my dead body, squidface!" Kazuya boldly yelled, striking a fighting pose. NeoGenkimon mirrored his partner. "Yeah, so I suggest you back off, unless you want to be grilled!" Sho and Jun stood by with similar expressions and so did their digimon, not willing to allow their friends to be taken again. Although, a trickle of drool dripped down Cerberusmon's maw as she thought of grilled calamari.

A formation of a grin appeared on Dagomon's face. His chest began to shake, then his head reared back. Loud laughter exploded out of him, laughter of pure amusement. "All of you wish to challenge me?!" he boomed. Not an ounce of retraction commanded their bodies. This only served as more amusement for Dagomon. Waving his single-tentacled arm, the waves began to churn. Slowly at first, they quickly turned into the start of a storm. The digimon moved in to protect their partners.

"I command the very structure of this world! Neither of you have the slightest chance of victory." He waved another arm and the waves splashed and rocked against the broken pieces of land. Under their feet, hairline cracks began to form, causing further alarm for the digimon. "You fools are too attached to your humans to deal with the likes of me. Such is the way of those who bathe themselves in the world of light." Dagomon resumed his intentions, leaning toward his intended target. "Those who come from darkness belong to darkness. Such is the order of the universe."

Sakura could feel and see the fear in her young cousin's eyes. He was defenseless at the moment, and Dagomon controlled this world in its entirety. A power welled up in her. It wasn't towards darkness, but to the one who had caused so much dissention within her family. Knowing the power needed to be released, she screamed one word with all her might. "STOP!" A small light emanated from Sakura. Dagomon halted, as he felt the scald against his skin. Only the purest light could have done that.

"I sense great light within you, but it is futile. My son belongs among his own kind." Dagomon declared. "Only here shall he realize his true potential." Sakura stared with full defiance at the underwater master. "You may have sired Chiisi, but you are not his father. Fathers are there for their children, they care for them, not use them as tools for their own ends!" Her hand went to her chest as she clenched her fist. "All you've done is cause him suffering and pain." The light brimmed again, this time form Sakura's digivice. All the digimon not of the dark nature felt warmth from it, even the humans felt comfort.

This only provoked a laugh from Dagomon. "Even if what you say is true, he knows what he is. How can he live amongst mankind with such knowledge?" He asked in amusement. Sakura looked up at him. "That doesn't matter. He's accepted by the ones who really care about him, his friends and family." The look that was on Sakura's face was one Chiisi recognized back during his fight with her. Full details of that came back to him and he knew the feeling that looked conveyed…kindness. Tiamon felt the same warmth coming from Sakura.

"I-I feel strange." spoke the dragon. The light came again, only this time it was not pink, it was a magenta or a rose-colored hue instead. Upon her digivice, a symbol looking much like a peach or a blooming lotus flower shone. Sakura felt a beating in her chest, more like a twin beat of drums. Tiamon felt the same way, and it grew even more, as the digivice's light covered her. "**Tiamon Super Evolve!**" Nobody looked away, even Dagomon. So compelling was the evolution, that even darkness had to see it.

"**RegalTiamon!**" The light parted away per usual of evolution. Awe was on everyone's faces, especially NeoGenkimon. "Beautiful…absolutely beautiful." he whispered.

Tiamon's new form truly was a sight to behold. Her build remained mostly the same, only now it appeared more elegant. Her antennae had increased in length, now appearing like bangs, as they hung down. Six wings, smaller yet lovely, sprouted from her back, with rainbow colors sparkling within the membrane. Atop her head, a purple mane of hair ran along her neck, flowing with the breeze. Her legs, both front and back, were wrapped in silken cloth of a lavender color. The last bit of detail was a silver tiara crowing her head. The tiara held encrusted jewels of the rainbow in each hilt.

Digimon: RegalTiamon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Data

Type: Holy Dragon

Attacks: Royal Flame, Dazzle Claw, Lady Agni

The digimon analyzer revealed all the stats of the Ultimate. Tiamon, or rather, RegalTiamon couldn't believe it…she was now an Ultimate level. Pride swelled up within her, as she felt power also dwelling within her, waiting to be unleashed.

Dagomon growled in anger as he felt this power. Sakura answered that growl with a glare. She had grown tired of being the damsel in distress. This monster had messed with her friends and family and now she was…well, if she said it, it would be out of character for her to do so. But put bluntly, she was pissed. "I'll handle this, everyone!" she declared.

Kazuya's mouth went agape with concern. "W-What?!" he rushed over, but felt a hand against his shoulder. Turning around, he could see it was Jun. The bereted girl shook her head. "Are you crazy? She can't handle him!" Kazuya declared. He thought he heard a huff from Sakura. "Nothing personal, mind you. Heh, heh…" He chuckled nervously.

Jun took her hand off, but didn't change her opinion. "Look, Kodiro needs this. Besides, it's about time she did some ass-kicking instead of having us just do it all." Kazuya did not understand that in the slightest, but after some consideration in his head, he deduced that perhaps Sakura did need this. Only she and her family had been impacted by Dagomon, not them. It wasn't like he could even try to stop her anyway, for she and RegalTiamon had already taken flight.

Sakura felt a bit surprised when the dragon lowered herself. However, she immediately climbed aboard and they took to the air. "Sakura, are you ready?" RegalTiamon asked. The duel heartbeats came again, resounding in both human and digimon chests. Sakura had never felt anything like it before, but assumed the others had felt it when their digimon evolved into Ultimates.

"What do you intend to do child, kill me?" Dagomon asked with amusement. Sakura turned serious. "No. As much as I hate to say it, you are needed for the balance to exist. I realize that now." Pink smoke curled up from RegalTiamon's nostrils. "But that doesn't mean you're getting off scot free!" RegalTiamon finished for her partner. Rearing her head back, heat gathered in her throat, then when it reached its peak…

"Royal Flame!" A stream of pink fire jetted out against Dagomon's chest. The evil digimon gave out a pained yell. He hadn't expected the attack to harm him so. His charred skin slowly regenerated. This slowness shocked him, for any other wound would heal instantly. A deeper power lay behind that…light. Dagomon could sense it and he wasn't happy in the slightest. The single tentacle on Dagomon's right arm jutted forward and as it did, it split open into three separate speared points.

"Forbidden Trident!" Dagomon struck forward, attacking RegalTiamon with ferocity. Dagomon's move held great strength behind it, but RegalTiamon was swift. She narrowly avoided Dagomon's attack as several of the fleshy appendages slit against her scales.

RegalTiamon's claws then began to glow a purple color. The glow quickly burst into fire, spreading all the way up her legs. "Dazzle Claw!" she struck the tentacle trident back. Even though he was pained, Dagomon did not relent. They parried each other, matching strengths, neither backing down. Sakura's mind was gradually getting the hang of this connection. Fairydramon's body and soul were linked to her own. She felt the slits from the earlier attack and an almost burning feeling in her palms. It was not enough to be painful, but it was an odd sensation.

Focusing much more, Sakura put her full attention into the attacks. RegalTiamon did the same and gradually Dagomon's own attack began to wind down. "Impudent child! Infinite Tentacles." Dagomon growled. The many tentacles on Dagomon's other arm extended. They slithered like snakes, or maybe worms, wrapping themselves around the dragon. More came forth, as an endless supply spilled forward. Sakura felt herself pinned to her digimon. Both girls felt slimy and generally unpleasant.

Chuckling deeply, Dagomon squeezed his tightest. "Die." he said. Surges of dark energy flowed from the tentacles. As it overtook them, both RegalTiamon and Sakura cried out. "It feels like I'm being torn apart!" RegalTiamon tried to subdue her screams and remain tough. Yet the pain was far too much. Sakura was doing the very same and she too was finding it difficult to not give in.

"Sakura! Sweet Honey!" Kazuya and NeoGenkimon screamed. Both boys nearly jumped in, ready to save them, when a familiar voice stopped them. "Grisly Wing!" a swarm of bats struck at Dagomon. Biting into his flesh, the dark beast swatted them aside with his free tentacle, deleting them. Craning his head, he looked down to see a fully awake Myotismon with an angry looking Chiisi.

"Leave them alone!" Chiisi demanded. Looking at his son, Dagomon's eyes glowed with fury. "You attack your own father after I gave you a great gift?" Dagomon asked with disappointment. "And you, vampire, you betray me?" Myotismon smirked. "Betray you? I was never on your side to begin with. Sure, you kind of brainwashed me, but mostly I was just loyal to the kid." Myotismon flicked his wrists and two energy whips came out. "Oh, by the way, the whole 'loyal servant' thing pissed me off!"

Flying forward, Myotismon raged. "Crimson Lighting!" He yelled, as he struck rapidly. Myotismon clearly didn't enjoy his subordinate-like demeanor whilst brainwashed and it showed. From Chiisi's stance and movements, he was synchronizing with his digimon, putting all his rage into it. Dagomon's grip and energy surges lessoned, giving RegalTiamon the opening she needed. Still drained and tired, Sakura provided the extra push.

"Royal Flame!" The pink fire blew forth more intensely than before. Dagomon didn't have any time to defend himself as the flames spread, engulfing his head. Releasing them, he fell back with a splash. All was silent for a moment. No one did a thing, afraid they may jinx themselves. When nothing happened, their emotions soared.

"Alright, they did it!" Sho shouted. "A little anti-climactic, but hey, it works for me!" Jun cheered. Kazuya and NeoGenkimon didn't say anything, they merely looked up, Kazuya giving a thumbs up and NeoGenkimon giving a whistle to RegalTiamon. Parrotmon breathed a sigh of relief that this was finally all over. He cringed slightly when Cerberusmon gave a howl of victory.

The same calmness applied to the two cousins. Sakura and Chiisi looked at each other, their smiles matching. Those smiles turned to frowns as they sensed something was amiss. Just then, a loud splash sent water droplets flying everywhere, causing the sea of rain to return. Everyone stared in surprise as the water parted to reveal Dagomon with fully healed wounds.

Sho's mouth hung open as he stammered. "B-but h-how?!" Dagomon laughed loudly, sensing the fear around him. "Fools! Did you really think that could destroy me?!" He waved his tentacles around, spreading out his chest. "This entire world is my dominion! Healing such wounds is a trivial matter!"

Thunder began to boom as dark clouds gathered. The water started to churn as waves formed, growing larger by the minute. "I admit you humans have proved entertaining, but I grow weary of this." Dagomon's body began to flex and the waves tossed and turned. "You shall all perish, and you my son, will be recreated as I see fit." The darkness within him spread forth, the largest anyone had ever seen.

"Now, drown in the watery abyss! Thousand Waves!" Dagomon cried out. If the waves were large before, now they were gigantic. They splashed and turned in all directions. Waving his arms around, Dagomon directed them, conducting his orchestra of death. Giant waves of water smashed against the remaining pieces of land. Each digimon grabbed their humans, but they barely managed to escape the waves. Tossing and turning, they all scattered as they tried to remain afloat. Even the flying digimon such as Parrotmon and Myotismon were having trouble. The water came from all directions, making it very hard to move. Nevertheless, the digimon remained by their partners, doing their very best to keep them alive.

Sakura and RegalTiamon were the only ones who were unaffected by the watery carnage below. Dagomon quickly remedied that. Large waves headed their way. "Sakura, hang on!" RegalTiamon yelled. Sakura did so, as the dragon began to dodge and swerve to the best of her ability. Her flight pattern began to falter, as her wings were clipped with water, causing her to spin. Still, she did not give up. Even in this stressful situation, Sakura felt confident in her digimon's abilities. Then, they both saw it. The largest wave they had ever seen was coming straight toward them. It was so large that the whole area around it began to rise. Dagomon called to it, his arms backwards. Then, he heaved forward. On cue, the sea mass moved forward, ready to drown out everything.

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked. Looking at everyone suffering below, she asked herself. "What can I do?" This couldn't happen…not like this. She was determined to save all those she cared about. Something inside her then began to stir. RegalTiamon was the first to sense it, being Sakura's digimon and all. Bleeping lights came from the digivice. Whatever Sakura was doing, it was working. Below, the other digivices began to glow. Everyone else was so preoccupied with staying afloat, they didn't notice.

Sakura didn't understand herself what was going on, but something deep within her blood or her soul was helping her. The only thing she could think of was to borrow power from everyone else. She hated to leave the digimon defenseless, but she didn't have a choice. Beams of light matching the colors of each individual digivice shot forth from it. Sakura's own digivice absorbed them. RegalTiamon felt the power within her growing larger.

"_It's time to end this, RegalTiamon!_" Sakura's voice rang out in the dragon's head. Nodding, RegalTiamon replied. "Yes, it is." Pink and purple smoke began to curl from her nostrils. Her wings spread out wide, as she exposed her middle. Heat formed in the air circling the digimon. Dagomon felt it, but paid it no mind. Too slowly, he realized the new attack's threat. The heat brought flames, alternating between pink and purple. The fire started to form a shape. When it was complete, everyone could see it was a dragon. The fire dragon mimed RegalTiamon's movements.

The wave drew closer, bearing down on them. Both knew it was time to strike. "Lady Agni!" cried Sakura and RegalTiamon. The Ultimate dra mon swooped in, as did her fire twin. It was like looking at a photo finish of a race. The area was completely still as the critical moment passed. Would it be water or flame that would win out? Shortly, the answer came.

"GRAAAAAAGHGH!" Dagomon screamed as the fire overtook every fiber of his being. With its caller weakened, the wave parted, just like that. Rage and pain were what Dagomon was feeling at this very moment. He called to the waves to heal him, but they didn't come.

"Thiiiiissss…..can'ttttt…..beeeee!" Dagomon roared. There was only one escape, the dark lord knew that. Although it would mean sacrifice, it was better than destruction. Dagomon fell back, his body splashing into the sea. Stillness followed again. It was almost inconceivable that the lord of the dark ocean had fallen. Before weary brains could process this, something happened. Below, a whirlpool began to turn, slowly growing larger.

"Is he coming back?!" Sakura shouted in concern. Her concerns would not be necessary, for Dagomon did not rise, but the whirlpool did. It grew before anyone could escape. It reached higher and higher into the sky. When it had reached its peak, it collapsed and no one was inside.

---

Dagomon let himself submerge, his strength had been spent. Long had it been since he had a decent fight and it was his first taste of defeat. His son had been lost to him for now. It was against his better judgment in sending the digidestined away, but his survival was more important. What would happen to this world without its master? The wounds would take a long time to heal, so for now he rested. Thoughts raced through his head. The girl was attuned perfectly with light. The more he thought of that holy element, the angrier he got. His anger appeased a bit, as he felt the deep ones surrounding him, tending to their master. Such devoted servants always following his command. He couldn't understand how the plan could have failed. He sired a being that could cross the boundaries of the Digital World. Certainly, a half-breed would have been enough to ensure darkness' reign. Thinking further, he concluded that perhaps mating with a normal human wouldn't be enough.

Darkness had not yet left his son, but what would happen if a half-breed born from light were to exist? Chuckling, he bellowed. "I shall have to test this." That plan would be for another day and unbeknownst to him, it would involve drawing another to his world. For now, he would rest. He had seen the potential of light and if the two were to join, the results would be wondrous. Darkness would not yet be forgotten.

So like before, he waited. His patience was as endless as the sea.

---

Cold was the first thing they felt. Of course, being wet only made it worse. A chill ran through their bodies, as the digidestined found themselves randomly teleported to yet another location. A familiar location, to be precise. Seeing the blue sky and the white landscape made their surprised expression disappear instantly. Smiles forming all around, they breathed in just to make sure they were free of the dark world. Sho was the first to announce his pleasure. "It's real, we're finally out of that place!" he cried, jumping up and down.

Labramon, who was always happy so long as her partner was happy, joined in. "Yahoo! We're free! Free!" Below her feet, Jun heard a sobbing. It was no surprise to find it was Penguinmon. "What are you blubbering about now?" she asked. Looking up at her with tear-stained eyes, Penguinmon sniffled. "I'm just so happy. No more nightmare worlds or monsters trying to kill us." Jun shook her head. "Well, its better here than there, I can say."

Kazuya and Gazimon both were in a jovial mood. However, their joviality was not about the situation. No, it was for the ones who had brought on this situation. Sakura had been separate, taking in all that had happened when Kazuya grabbed her in a hug. "Sakura, you were incredible! You sent that squid-faced creep packing!" Both best friends caught each other's gaze. When their eyes met, they blushed and Kazuya released his grip on her. "Ah…oh…well, what I mean to say is, nice job."

Giving a giggle, Sakura grinned. "I was good, wasn't I?"

"I'll say! Another enemy bites the dust." Kazuya replied. The smile briefly turned into a frown. "I don't think he's dead, but I'm pretty sure he won't bother us for a while." Even though it was discomforting to know that there was any chance of Dagomon still being alive, it didn't put Kazuya down for long. "Eh, I say let him come. Next time we'll all take him on!"

Sakura didn't deserve all the credit. There was one other who had helped make this possible. The newly devolved Gazimon made finding her top priority. "Where's my sweet honey!?" he whined. No trace of RegalTiamon could be seen. Seeing that she had used a lot of energy in that last attack, it was more than likely she devolved. Gazimon's search came to an end, as a small figure popped her head out of the snow. The digimon looked reptilian, with green scales and a yellow underbelly. The only difference was the face, which was rounded. The little antennae and the smaller fairy wings gave away who it was.

"Fairydramon?" Sakura asked on instinct. A fanged smile answered back. "Yes Sakura, it's me, but I don't think Fairydramon would apply to me now." The digimon said, in a tiny squeaky voice. The digimon analyzer told all.

Digimon: Kawaiimon

Level: In-Training

Attribute: Data

Type: Micro

Attacks: Tiny Fire

"Kawaii is right. It fits you perfectly." said Sakura, grabbing her digimon in a hug. Kawaiimon felt complete. She now had reached the same level as her fellow digimon. No longer would she feel left out in a fight. "You did great, Sakura." Sakura felt perplexed at the sudden praise. "But you were the one who did all the fighting."

"No, you were there with me. I could feel you, remember?" said Kawaiimon. Sakura had almost forgotten it had been a team effort. Synchronizing was an odd sensation, yet the pair of them had done a seemingly impossible task. Another hug was given before Sakura set Kawaiimon down.

"Let's say we both did a good job." said Sakura. "Good job!" Kawaiimon giggled. Just then, grey furry arms scooped her up and delivered another hug. "Oh, my sweet honey, I'm so happy you're alive! And this form looks so cute on you, too!" Gazimon praised. "Your Ultimate form was a sight of true beauty!" Kawaiimon blushed. Then, remembering who was holding her, she growled and spat a small fireball upon Gazimon's head. The rabbit dropped her and began putting it out with snow. The damage was othing major, just a singed hair or two.

"Don't…touch…me." warned Kawaiimon. No one could help but find that display cute and funny. Sakura looked on to the side and saw Chiisi. The boy was looking for something in the snow. Finally, he pulled out a white pinkish creature. It looked almost like a pig. It cheeks were rosy-colored and on its head it had two long rabbit-like ears. Groaning. the digimon opened up, revealing beady black eyes.

"Kid?" was the first thing it said. Then it stopped. "Wait, is that my voice?" he asked. Releasing himself from Chiisi's grasp, the digimon looked over its body, inspecting himself. Gasps and groans emanated from the creature's throat before raising its head to the sky. "No! Why this!? Anything but this!" he stopped himself. "I sound like a pipsqueak!"

Chiisi knew who this digimon used to be. Taking out his analyzer, he made sure, he would use the proper identification.

Digimon: Tokomon

Level: In-Training

Attribute: Data

Type: Micro

Attacks: Bubble Blow

"This is not what I expected." Chiisi mumbled. Tokomon couldn't believe what had happened to him. The power he once held was now completely gone. Then, he realized that everyone had gathered around him. "What the hell are you staring at!?" he bellowed. The boys, mostly Kazuya and Gazimon had to hold back their snickers. The girls, human to be precise, held shared expression and feelings. "Cute!" they squealed.

A vein popped in Tokomon's head. "I AM NOT CUTE!" The very thought sickened him. He opened his mouth, revealing rows of large, razor sharp teeth. "DOES THIS LOOK CUTE TO YOU!?" growled Tokomon. The girls took one look and replied, "Super cute!" That sent Tokomon into a fit. Gnashing his teeth around and hopping form place to place, he whined. "Damn…shit…why the stupid hell..." What came next were a string of obscenities not suitable for anyone's ears or ratings. One thing was for certain, however…...the digidestined were reunited again.

---

Within her chamber, Maya gave a pleased sigh. "All is as it should be." The balance between light and darkness had been restored. It had been a narrow escape, but the humans and their digimon had come through. What pleased Maya the most, was that the corruption had left the youngest. Light had banished darkness, yet without destruction. Family was a bond that could never be broken.

However, at the thought of family, she frowned. With her, the bond no longer applied. Thinking of long forgotten memories, she remembered one who was forever lost.

"Drian……I was light, I could have helped you."

---

"Helloooo! Anybody home?" Kazuya called. The digidestined were currently at the Ice Sanctuary. It had not taken them long to find it. The church was back in its original location, if a little tilted. The interior looked about the same, battle scars and all. "Kazuya, don't shout." scolded Sakura.

The mood was back to normal. Except that Tokomon was still disgruntled about his new form. Chiisi had washed his mouth out with snow, finding no soap around. His curses had now subsided to grumbles. "Oh relax, Sakura. It's not going to bother anyone." Kazuya replied. "Yeah, the place is a ghost town." Gazimon added.

Indeed, the hallways were empty. With everything that had gone on the outside, equal troubles must have gone on inside. Yet with MagnaAngemon vaporized, those troubles were probably long gone. "You think the digimon are okay?" asked Sho. "They'd better be. We save their butts and get no hero's welcome?" said Jun.

Crossing his arms, Kazuya still had not put aside his feelings for those masses. "They're probably crying now that their cult head is gone."

"Kazuya, that's not nice. They're probably scared and lost now." Sakura scolded again. She just hoped she was not defending MagnaAngemon in a way. "Hey, that's what they get for putting all their faith in a zealot. They have to face reality, instead of just running to some self-proclaimed holy man." Kazuya declared.

Miming his partner, Gazimon added. "Yup, true, true." Their composure was solid, their beliefs unshakeable, until two seconds later. "Well, well, look who's here." That voice made the whole group freeze. It was familiar, but it couldn't be who they thought it was. Kazuya and Gazimon slowly turned their heads and brought their eyes to the left hallway. Standing in it was a pair of digimon. One was a white and green horned rabbit and the other was brown and pink, with three horns instead of one.

"Terriermon!" Kazuya exclaimed. "Lopmon!" Gazimon added another exclamation. The latter mentioned bunny brother waved nervously from behind his twin. A self-satisfied smirk appeared on the formers. "Thought you could skip out on the bill, did ya?" Terriermon asked.

To be continued…

A/N Okay the Dagomon arc is officially over. Comments are well appreciated through reviews contructive or otherwise. Well I brought the bunny brothers back and I doubt Terriermon is going to let up on the bill. Enjoy!


	36. Chapter 36

Duskmon felt the presence fade. It was as if a part of him stilled. Slowly, he pressed against his armored chest, feeling for something. Indeed, something had fallen, not dead, but defeated. It took him but a few moments to figure out whom it was.

"So, Dagomon is not so mighty after all." Duskmon said. A disappointing tone was evident in his voice. The powers of darkness had fallen, for now. However, some good came of this. With Dagomon out of the way, the master would have no competition or obstructions in his way. Letting the humans do their business for them worked after all.

Per usual, he left the dark abyss, materializing in the main chamber of the castle. Normally it was bare, due to each of the Fallen Angels attending to their own business, but that didn't apply today. At the central meeting table sat Lilithmon. Her expression was blank and in one hand she clasped the black digitama close to her. To Duskmon's curiosity and slight amusement he found the Impmon that had hitched along with him at her side.

A collar was around his neck, much like a dog. The Rookie held a beaten expression across his face as he filed Lilithmon's clawed hand. "Ow!" Lilithmon exclaimed. "Careful, worm!" She shouted, kicking Impmon to the ground.

The demon grunted and growled, but changed his tune when he felt the icy stare of the Mega. "Yes mistress." His accent still laced his voice, setting the wording off slightly. "You have a new slave, I see." said Duskmon. Lilithmon looked up. The burst of emotion that she had shown disappeared instantly. "I put him to use, nothing more." she explained. "Any news?" she asked.

"Yes, Dagomon has fallen." he said, as he strode over to the table. This sparked surprise in the demon lady. "He's dead?"

"No, merely weakened, but the master should now have no trouble with his awakening." Looking around the room, he half expected another to show up. "Where are Demon and Cherubimon?" Lilithmon shrugged. "Who knows? I haven't seen them all day. I imagine Cherubimon is engrossed in his experiments and Demon…who knows what that one is thinking?" Her gaze averted to the doorway. "Lately he has seemed….pre-occupied."

Duskmon followed her gaze. His feelings of mistrust towards the stronger demon had not altered. Footsteps echoed behind them. Out of the darkness stepped the darker shade of Cherubimon. The rabbit scientist held a look of triumph upon his face. "I have done it! At last, I have done it!" he cried.

Lilithmon tilted her head in query. "Did what?" Cherubimon beamed proudly. "An experiment of great magnitude." he boasted. Holding out his hand, a black shape materialized in a stream of data. Lilithmon's previous look of possible interest faded. "That's what you've been working on?"

Floating over Cherubimon's hand was a gear, a black gear. Cherubimon undertook many experiments, sometimes many at once. Often, he said multitasking helped the brain juices flow. However, lately he had put one experiment upon top priority, but never divulged what it was.

Folding his arms, Duskmon shared Lilithmon's feelings. "I'll be quite blunt. Neither of us are impressed." he stated. Cherubimon gave a low growl but turned it into a chuckle. "I expected my genius to be looked over upon first glance, but this little beauty of mine will make spreading the master's will much easier."

Curiosity returned to the two, but not by much. Cherubimon decided to divulge. "As you know, the viruses I have made enslave any digimon they infect. They are completely under our control."

"Yes, yes, we already know this." Lilithmon replied, impatiently. That didn't faze Cherubimon, so he continued. "The only problem is the viruses completely merge with the host's data, leaving the only way to purify them by deletion or exposure."

"Purification is not what we want." Duskmon cut in. That seemed to irk Cherubimon. "I know that! It's not purification, but the method!" He calmed himself a bit. The scientist didn't want to lose whatever cool he held and he had an impression to keep up. "Every time a virus is destroyed, so is the host digimon, leaving us one less minion. But my black gears do no such thing. They merely imbed themselves into the body and don't completely merge with the data. The digimon is still controllable, as if a virus were infecting it." Cherubimon could tell their earlier doubt was starting to fade. "Once the gear is removed and destroyed, the digimon remains."

"Leaving it open to be controlled again." Lilithmon realized. Beaming proudly, Cherubimon held his head up. "All I have to do is mass produce it." Duskmon had his eyes closed the entire time. He wasn't sleeping, but stewing over the details. "I'd say you have stumbled across something that may be useful to us. I'm certain the master will be pleased."

The idea of pleasing the master was always a splendid idea to Cherubimon. "Yet, I still have my doubts." Duskmon added. "What?" Cherubimon asked, disbelieving there could be any doubt. "Time and time again those humans have proven persistent in ruining our plans." said Duskmon. "Any infected digimon they have come across, they defeated. Other than that, there's still the matter of your failure."

Cherubimon blinked. "F-failure?" He said, half angry, half surprised. Duskmon opened his eyes. "When we found the digicores bearing the marks of Miracle and Destiny, You swore you could find a way of reversing their holy energy flow to speed up the master's revival." Duskmon paused for a moment then turned his back to the Mega. "But you had no luck in doing that."

"Don't treat me like some simple-minded fool!" Cherubimon bellowed. "Converting the holy energy is nigh impossible!" It was a good defense, but Duskmon still was not entirely buying into Cherubimon's words. "The master shall still accept them as a gift…remnants of the one who expended his life for naught."

That part was true. The digicores so useless at the moment, would make excellent gifts for the master, upon his arrival. A glowing hum came from the digitama. "Feeding time." Lilithmon blankly chorused. Glaring at Impmon, the now timid Rookie followed.

---

Out of all the digimon they had met, half of them never expected to see them again. So far, it had merely been meet a new face and then depart. Yet here they were, the bunny brothers. Kazuya found it absolutely unbelievable. "H-h-h-h-" Kazuya stammered. Gazimon mimicked his partner, sharing in the disbelief.

Terriermon crossed his arms, smiling with triumph. "Surprised to see us?" he asked. "Well, yeah." admitted Jun. Terriermon frowned. "Well, you shouldn't be. After all, you owe me for that raft ride."

"Brother!" Lopmon scolded. "I do apologize. I understand if you cannot pay at the present time." he bowed, apologetically. Terriermon slapped his brother on the head. "Don't apologize to them! They owe us payment!"

"I'm just trying to be fair." Lopmon argued. "Hold on a minute!" Sho cut in. "What are you two doing all the way on File Island? Don't you live on Folder?"

An interesting question lay present. It was one that Terriermon was eager to answer. "Well, after you kids skipped out on us, I searched high and low for you. We traveled around, but found no trace of you. So I asked myself , would skimpers stay on Folder? No, they would most likely leave the continent, and what better place to hide out than File Island?"

"We didn't skimp. Besides, your raft was destroyed." Kazuya said, as he snapped out of his disbelief. Terriermon continued, despite the interruption. "I'll say, we even had to build a new one to catch up. We traveled at sea for so long and then a storm brewed, we got shipwrecked, yada yada you get the picture." Terriermon finished. There was no further need for explanation for obviously their crash site was here, and the church had taken them in.

"Now, as for your bill..." Terriermon reached into the knapsack he had carried and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. As he unfolded it, the paper unrolled like a carpet. Labramon padded up, sniffing at the paper. Her eyes trailed down, reading. When she reached the bottom, her eyes bugged out.

"That's a big number, isn't it?" she asked, a bit nervously. Even though she didn't quite understand the concept of payment, she still understood a high price. Sho picked up the bill and his eyes did a similar action. He handed it to each of the group and their eyes did the same.

"You're crazy." Kazuya said, bluntly. "Aint nothing crazy about it." Terriermon responded. Kazuya's face turned as red as his jacket. "We don't have this kind of money, so we can't pay!" he shouted. "Oh, trying to skimp again!" Terriermon replied, in defense.

"We are not skimping. Besides, who charges after all this time?!" Kazuya retorted. Holding a finger up, Terriermon wagged it back and forth. "Late fees, my boy." he answered. Kazuya growled, ready to deliver another retort to the bunny. Sakura's touch on his shoulder stopped him from possibly making a fool of himself.

"Please, we would be more than happy to pay you. It's just that we don't have the money right now." Sakura pleaded. "We're just a bunch of kids lost in a scary, new world, all our families left behind. So please, couldn't you find it in your heart to let this slide, pretty please?" Sakura put on a sweet face, her eyes shining and blinking.

Terriermon didn't know what to say, but he actually seemed less hardened. He shuffled his feet and thought for a moment, his mind trying to decide. "All right, fine. You got to me, so I'll let this slide." No one held back a cheer for they were just happy. "Just until you pay me back." The cheers stopped. "I am still going to add up to your bill until then."

Everyone's face faulted. "Brother, how can you be like that? They said they intend to pay!" Lopmon exclaimed. "Hey, I can't help it if I want my money, and if I show any sign of softening then they will skimp out totally." Terriermon argued.

Lopmon fumed, groaning in exasperation. "I can't believe we are related! If it were up to me, I would let these children take as long as they want to pay." said Lopmon. "That's the difference between us. I actually have business sense. Why else do I handle the finances?" quipped Terriermon.

"There is a fine difference between being a greedy miser and having sense!" Lopmon retorted. The two brothers shot death glares at each other, much like the group had seen during their first meeting. What they expected next was a long and violent fight, a brotherly spat on the digimon level, which of course included energy attacks and a lot of clawing and biting.

"Everyone, come quick!" a small voice cut through the argument. Behind them, running down the hall, was Salamon. The little puppy looked absolutely fine despite the events that had unfolded. Labramon yipped and leapt at Salamon in a playful manner.

"Hello, sister puppy!" Labramon cried, happily wagging her tail. Salamon dropped the serious demeanor she held and showed a brief spur of happiness at seeing the larger dog. Of course, in that instant she dropped it, remembering her business. "Everyone, follow me!"

"What's wrong?" Gazimon asked. Salamon had four words. "The digitama is hatching." Not everyone knew what this meant, except for Gazimon and Kawaiimon. "Lead the way." Everyone followed without a word, even Terriermon and Lopmon. Apparently, seeing a digimon egg hatch was a blessed and spectacular event. So for now, all personal matters were put aside.

---

It was a joyous occasion for the Biyomon couple. Since the dark times had begun, they had suffered much. Even through hardships, their love had seen them through, not for themselves, but for the future. The little digitama was proof of that. Small cracks formed along the edges with a slight glow escaping. The couple looked up, as the group of humans and digimon entered the room. They smiled as the newcomers came to witness the birth of their child. At last, the egg cracked fully and a glowing light filled the room. When it settled, a small baby digimon lay nestled within her mother's wings. The youngster looked up with curious eyes at its surroundings and the new faces staring at it. "Nyoki?" it cooed.

Digimon: Nyokimon

Level: Baby

Attribute: Data

Type: Micro

Attacks: Seed Cracker

As with seeing Tokomon the girls had this to say, "Cute!" A look of pride swelled upon the father Biyomon's face. It then changed to surprise, as Gazimon patted him roughly on the back. "Congratulations, my friend. That's a fine looking kid you got there!" said Gazimon.

The father smiled, but his surprised look resumed when Terriermon did the same. "Yeah, congrats!" Terriermon cheered. When the patting stopped, Biyomon managed to cough out a "thank you."

At last things seemed at peace. As far as Sakura could see, there was not an ounce of fear or hostility. It warmed her hear to see the sight before her. This Biyomon couple had gone through much, she could tell and now it worked out for them in the end. Smiles and pleasantries all around except for one. Sakura saw the twin looks shared between Tokomon and Chiisi. Tokomon still pouted over his devolved form. As for Chiisi, he seemed more distant than usual.

Reachign out her hand slightly, Sakura began to ask, "Chiisi, are you-"

"D'arcmon and Angemon-sama!" Salamon's voice cut through. On cue, the angels entered the room. Despite a few bruises, they looked as elegant as before. Everyone in the room who knew the pair turned their attention towards them. Lopmon did the same, prodding his brother to do likewise.

The angels scanned everything, from the newborn baby to the digidestined. "A blessed event, I see." Angemon smiled. "Two, to be precise. The children of legend have delivered us form darkness." D'arcmon corrected. The digidestined new the lady angel was talking about them. "Wait, you know?" Sho asked. "Not at first, but after the course of recent actions we can see the truth before us." D'arcmon bowed. "Thank you for saving us."

Per usual, the group took the praise in stride. But Gazimon couldn't help but let his head swell even more. "Still, I am sorry we could not have helped Piddomon." Angemon said suddenly. This set Kazuya back. "Why are you mourning over him? He tried to kill us and he was nuts to boot."

Angemon and D'arcmon looked down with a forlorn look. Whenever he opened his mouth like this, it always prompted a scold from Sakura. Sakura didn't even bother this time, for she held no like towards Piddomon or at the time, MagnaAngemon.

"We regret his actions…they were reprehensible." D'arcmon directed this apology towards Sakura. "Had times been peaceful, he probably wouldn't have fallen." Angemon tried to force back the current memories. "At one time, he was truly our brother." he said. "What about his followers?" Kawaiimon asked.

Angemon and D'arcmon looked up. Though their brother was at peace now, he had left behind those who had believed in his vision. "They are shaken and lost." said Angemon. "Yet in time, his views should leave them." D'arcmon finished. Their eyes met upon the new parents. "Perhaps we should leave." D'arcmon suggested. Everyone followed, leaving the new family alone.

---

"So what do we do now?" Penguinmon asked. No one had the answer to that question. Everything had been done. They had saved File Island, rescued Chiisi and defeated Dagomon. What more did they have to do?

"Why is everyone looking at me?" Kazuya asked. Gazimon lowered his eyes. "Do we even have to say it?" That was true. He was the leader after all, so planning should fall to him. "Geez, umm, I guess we should leave?" Kazuya suggested.

"Duh. We know that, but where do we go, goggle-boy?" Jun asked, in her usual blunt manner. "Beats me. All I know is, we have nothing else to do on this island." Kazuya honestly answered. There was nothing else he could say. That much was true. What more could they do? Where else did they have to go?

So indulged in their thoughts, they failed to notice something slip by through one of the openings made during the battle with IceDevimon. It was a little TV screen with a propeller attached to the top.

"_Hey, how's it going, my little draftees?_" the sudden voice surprised everyone, even the angels. Sho, being the most timid of the group…well, timid human…Penguinmon held the rank of timid digimon, spoke first.

"What the heck is that?!" he asked. Labramon growled, ready to defend her partner. "Is it a bad guy?!" She barked and yipped, trying to scare off the strange machine. "_Cut that out! What are you trying to do, break my audio receptors?_" the little TV screen asked.

It took everyone a moment to process the voice. Something about it was awfully familiar, but they couldn't quite place it. Chiisi however, broke the silence wall he had placed around himself. "Datamon?" the boy asked.

The TV screen bobbed up and down. "_Bingo! You are correct, my smart little half-breed!_" Chiisi winced. "_Oh yeah, kid. I examined your blood and found traces of data in it. Hard to believe a digimon and a human could pair together to produce offspring._" Datamon said, excitedly. "_Tell me which parent was a digimon? How did you develop? Have you reached puberty yet?_" Datamon asked all these rapid questions but stopped as he noticed the looks of discomfort upon everyone's faces.

"_Uh, never mind. How are my favorite digimon-partnered humans?_" Datamon asked. "Uh..." Kazuya began. "_Well, I'll tell you. You've been great. I sent this here probe to investigate the reason why communications with File Island have ceased, and then bam! The fog lifts and guess who I just know was responsible?_"

No one answered for the moment, until Sakura decided to speak. "Us?" The TV bobbed again, indicating joy. "_Bingo! You are correct, madam!_" The voice behind the TV screen exclaimed. "_I got to tell ya, you kids are something else! The same goes for your digimon!_"

The digimon and not just Gazimon beamed up in pride. Even Tokomon snapped out of his depression, but only momentarily. "Yeah, we were awesome, especially me!" Gazimon replied. Kawaiimon sweat-dropped with a sigh. Although, she admitted he was good. But of course, she dismissed that thought quickly.

"Hold on a minute. What are you doing here?" Kazuya asked. The TV bobbed for a moment. "_Oh, me. Well, after we lost contact with you, I decided to head over to File Island to find out what was wrong myself._" Explained Datamon. "_Of course, I couldn't go there myself, so I sent this probe instead. We're all watching you from back at the base. Oh, by the way, Prairiemon says hi._"

A few of the kids and digimon waved hello, not sure if the Armor level could see them or not. "_Pleasantries aside, I need you all for another mission._" said Datamon. "_I think it's about time we brought the fight to the big heads, ie the Fallen Angels._" Despite not hearing the names of such digimon regularly, they all knew who the Fallen Angels were.

"But those are those really evil digimon, aren't they?" Sho asked, worriedly. "_That would be right, and they're on the continent of Directory, just for reference._" Datamon noted.

Sho wasn't the only one who held reservations on the matter. The Fallen Angels were obviously very powerful if they held sway over all the virus controlled digimon. A group huddle was in order, not just blurting things out of instinct.

"Okay, fine." Kazuya blurted. Kazuya expected everyone to question him on that, so he decided to save them the trouble. "Look, it was bound to happen. I mean, it's why we were brought to this world."

"We all know that, goggle-boy. It's not like any of us are going to argue with you." replied Jun. That caught Kazuya off guard. He looked around at his assembled companions…no…his friends. "It's not like we have a choice, so we might as well do it." said Sho, stifling his nervousness.

The digimon didn't have anything to say. They were born to fight. It was in their blood and data. Wherever their partners went, they would go, even if it was to hell and back. "How are we going to get to Directory?" Penguinmon asked, destroying the dramatic build up. That was a good question, for they were stuck on an island in the middle of the sea.

"_I have the perfect solution to that, my dear fowl._" Datamon reassured. "_You are going to warp there._" Everyone blinked. "Random teleporting again?" Jun was the first to ask, of course with a smarmy response. "Been there, done that, and frankly, we are dead tired of that."

The little TV bobbed up and down, angrily this time. "_It's not random teleporting, it's perfectly coordinated warping!_"

"Yeah, but technically we are teleporting, so it's been done before." Gazimon spoke up. All of them had experienced random teleporting. It seemed to happen to them on a fairly regular basis, redundant and unoriginal if it was done by an author of a story.

"_Look, thanks to you, I was able to get in contact with a fellow rebel group on Directory to set up this Digiport._" said Datamon. Jun gave a snicker. "Digiport? You've got to be kidding me. You couldn't think up a more original name?"

"Jun, that's enough." Penguinmon nudged. Jun didn't give her digimon a glare. The matter was serious and she knew it. Of course, she couldn't help but giggle a bit at the name. She wondered if everything had to have the word digi at the beginning. What next, digivolving?

"_That's right. Me and my genius have created the first digiport! That's right, a digiport, the future of travel. Nor more sailing, walking, or any of that long, burdensome travel!_" The TV bobbed up more, going left and right with each word. "_Unfortunately, it is still in the testing stage, so I was only able to configure it to digivice usage. Put simply, only your kind of digivice can open this one._"

Hands gripped their digivices. So far, these tools had simply been to evolve their digimon and with Sakura as an example, purify infected digimon. "Well, I say lets go for it!" Kazuya declared. "What, you mean right now? Shouldn't we prepare first?" Sho said, eager to rest.

Gazimon climbed up Kazuya until he reached the boy's shoulder. "Hey, no time like the present, Sho, my boy!" Everyone gave Kazuya and Gazimon equal looks. All except for Chiisi, who still held a look like something was on his mind. Tokomon was still grumbling over his current condition, of course.

Sho frowned and slumped down. "Okay, fine." he gave up. Labramon gave her partner an affectionate lick across his cheek. "Cheer up, Sho-chan! Think of it this way, we're going on a trip!" she piped. "_Don't worry, my friend. On Directory, we will take good care of you. We'll give you a bed, food, you name it._" Datamon added.

Labramon slurped at the mention of food. "You see, Sho-chan? It sounds better already, doesn't it?" Sho figured at least they were not being thrown into a dangerous situation without help. He perked up and gave his best smile even if he had to force it. Doom and gloom still held a considerable balance in his head.

"_Alright kiddies, I've set the coordinates, so all you have to do is hold up your digivices._" instructed Datamon. All of them reached for their digivices to prepare for their trip. It would be silly for none of them to be worried, but they had to face this. "Light be with you all." said Angemon. Jun snickered again at such a corny line. "Please, all of you, take care of each other." said D'arcmon. That didn't need to be said. They had been doing that form the start and their digimon helped pick up any slack.

"Hold on!" Terriermon cut in at that moment. "I'm going with you." This caused everyone to briefly put down their digivices. "Hey, you kids still owe me money, and I'm going to follow you to the ends of the Digital World until I get every bit paid back!" the miserly rabbit declared.

"I suppose I'll go, too. After all, I have to make sure your greed doesn't drive everyone crazy." said Lopmon, giving his brother a glare. Terriermon glared right back. Arguing against this might work, but in the end it would probably prove pointless.

"Alright, fine." Kazuya conceded. "Let's just go and get this over with." Once again, everyone held up their digivices. "_Digiport open!_" Datamon declared. A flash of light filled the screen. The kid's digivices did the same, making beeping noises. What happened next was nothing big or convoluted. A light emerged from the Digiport screen, swallowing the kids and their little tagalongs. Angemon and D'arcmon watched as the group shrank and disappeared into the screen. The light dulled into nothing and with its purpose done, the digiport fell to the ground, going dead. The two angels looked over their own place. Much work needed to be done, but as they believed, all would be fixed in time.

"Angemon-sama! D'arcmon-sama!" Salamon came running up from the hall, an urgent look on her face. "The baby left a little mess!" the little puppy said with an ill face.

---

Demon sat alone in his chamber. Dagomon had been defeated, he could sense that. If the dark undersea lord was to make it, it would be well after much rejuvenation had passed. Demon growled. He had hoped Dagomon could help with his own plans of domination. He supposed the darkness he had nursed and absorbed would be sufficient for the time being.

"Just wait, bide my time and all will be within my grasp." he said to himself. Wait he would. If he played his cards right, the others would be none the wiser of his plan. The Digital World would bow to him, not the Master. Those thoughts he held to himself just in case others were listening in. He let out a deep laugh as darkness glowed within him, shining upon the jewel on his brow.

---

Datamon leaned back in his chair as much as it was possible for a body type like his. "Yes, all went down according to plan." he gloated. The tapping of claws against the floor meant Prariemon stood behind. "My, don't we seem confident?" She obviously didn't share her boss's sentiments.

"Hey, the kids are on their way to overthrown the Fallen Angels, my invention worked." He crossed his arms, letting out a sigh. "What could possibly go wrong?" It was then he noticed a blinking on his screen. It was a small little mail envelope signal. "Oh, hey, must be my friend!" he realized.

He clicked upon the symbol and a message body appeared. "Whoa, he sent it hours ago!" Datamon noticed the message's sent time. His eyes scanned over the message and the color drained from the organic bits of his face.

"CRAP!" he screamed.

"What?" Prariemon asked, as Datamon began to type furiously over the keyboard. "Come on! Come on!" he muttered continuously. The results on the screen were not what he wanted to see. "Damn, they're already there!" Datamon slammed the keyboard with his fists.

Prariemon looked over the message body herself to see what all the worry was about. "OH NO!" she said, placing a claw to her lips. The rest of the message was hastily written, but two words stood out:

"**Under Attack!**"

To be continued….

A/N: Okay originally I was going to have them sail all the way to Directory but I thought that would be too much like season 1. As for the black gears, If I remember correctly, Devimon only discovered the black gears not create them. Correct me if I am wrong. In the next chapter, they reach Directory but as you can guess, it won't be so smooth. Enjoy!


	37. Chapter 37

A bright light flashed through the room, as the digiport finished its sequence. The light solidified into ten shapes with two smaller ones tagging along. Clearing away, the brightness showed the guests. "Okay, that was a little different from random teleporting." Jun commented. "Yeah, I don't know how to describe that." said Sho.

The trip had been smooth, to say the least. For once, they were glad for a different kind of travel. Terriermon in particular was ecstatic. "You're telling me! This is revolutionary!" he announced, gazing at the digiport. Unlike the one Datamon had delivered, this one was larger, appearing like a large cylinder. The only similarity was the television screen that served as an access port.

"If we had one of these, we could make a fortune!" Terriermon continued. "What are you talking about?" asked Lopmon. "Think about it! We can ditch that raft service and open a digiport service." Greed and prospect shone in Terriermon's eyes. "I can picture it now, Brothers Worldwide Digiport!" Lopmon sweat-dropped. "Can't you put your mind off money for one second?"

Waving a finger in front of his sibling's face, Terriermon responded. "I am a business mon, so my mind is always open to profit."

Whilst the brothers spoke, the Digidestined and their digimon looked about their location. Several computers and machinery lined the room, connecting to the digiport. Obviously, they provided power. One question was on their mind, a collective one. Where was everybody? Datamon had said a friend of his, most likely another rebel, had set this up and was expecting them. They had arrived, but there was no welcome party.

"Where's the food?" Labramon went straight to the point. Her mind was always on one thing, well, two actually. "Relax Labramon. I'm sure someone will be here to feed us." Sho reassured. The dog digimon began to pace around, her stomach grumbling. "But I'm hungry now!" she whined. Her stomach let out a beast like growl. So loud it was that Penguinmon hid behind Jun's leg. "That's a mighty hunger." he commented. Jun shook her digimon off. "I agree, but don't touch the leg." she warned. Penguinmon of course backed off right before another growl sent him whimpering to his favorite hiding spot.

"Listen, my tummy knows its time to eat!" she pouted. Labramon looked up to Sho, her eyes taking on a familiar feeling. "Sho-chan, you can get me food, right? If I don't have any food, then how can I protect you?" she queried to the boy, with a flirtations tone in her voice.

Sho winced as his digimon started to rub up against his leg. Like always, he ignored and petted her. "Don't worry, you'll get food, I promise." Immediately, Labramon perked up and licked her partner's face. "Good! I knew you cared enough about me!"

"Never mind food." commented Kazuya. "I just want to know where everybody is." Gazimon crossed his arms. "Yeah, I mean we're big heroes so we deserve some praise." Shaking his head, he added. "Unfortunately, I doubt they have any pleasures of the digital flesh and indulgences." Beneath her breath, Kawaiimon muttered. "Hedonist."

Ears twitching, Gazimon held some sort of lagomorph sound sense. Or maybe it was his heart giving him added auditory. "You know that's what you like about me. It makes me an interesting guy." he said, giving his booty a slight push. Kawaiimon was not impressed and more than a little wierded out at the recent attempt of flirtation.

"We won't find out unless we open the door, I guess." Sakura suggested. It made more sense than anything else. The door that lay ahead was one of those sliding ones. Labramon bounded up to it. "Labramon, wait up!" Sho called.

The digital dog was too lost in her hunger to listen. "Don't worry, food. Labramon's tummy is coming!" She pawed at the door, attempting to open it. Sure enough, it did. However, it was not food that greeted them. Blaring alarms sounded off. Labramon yelped and backed off to Sho.

Apparently, this room was soundproof for the alarms did not break through until the door opened. In a spurred reaction, everyone rushed out the door, curious as to what chaos was unfolding. "What's going on?" Sakura asked, trying to keep her voice low for whatever reason. "It's obvious that things don't always go planned for us." Jun retorted. For once, she wasn't trying to be smart.

Bouncing off the corridors were voices, yells. Mixing together, they created a feared chorus. Just then, a metal shape floated by. It was a Hagurumon. "Got…to!" the mechanized digimon panted. His eyes met the children. When he did, he almost looked relieved, but at the same time, confused. "Get out! Not safe!" he panted again. "Hold on! What are you talking about?" Kazuya said, trying to calm the digimon.

Hagurumon opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He deleted before he could say anything. Sakura let out a scream, grabbing onto Kazuya who blushed briefly, but quickly cast his feelings of the awkward moment aside. Turning a corner, Hagurumon's killer suddenly appeared. It was a tank, a living tank. That applied to the lower part, the upper was humanoid, orange colored and patterned with camouflage. Its arms were a set of machine guns and its helmet, a cannon. Everything metal was green colored.

Digimon: Tankmon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Data

Type: Cyborg

Attacks: Hyper Cannon, Machine Gun Arms

One word was spoken, "Run!" and everyone did. Behind, they heard what sounded like a missile. Sho, Jun and their digimon were reminded of the metal city. "I thought we were through with killer robots!" Jun exclaimed. "Less talking, more running!" replied Sho.

A loud bang followed by an explosion knocked everyone down. Adrenaline pumping, they quickly scampered away. The Tankmon treaded onwards, going over the wreckage its attack had made. The humans and digimon had the advantage in speed. Winding through corridors, they spotted another door.

"Move it guys!" Kazuya rushed. They didn't need to be rushed, escape was on all their minds. Like the one before, the door opened up, revealing more of the same. They had stepped into a control room. Its design was in a manner similar to Datamon's. Key difference, Datamon's was not on fire and it wasn't a wreck. Several Hagurumon floated about, trying to avoid the shrapnel fire. The Tankmon were relentless in their pursuit, not leaving any survivors.

It was a horrifying site to behold. Sakura herself felt it the most. Her hand reached for her digivice but was stayed as she felt Kazuya's hand over her own. "We can't." he said. "But Kazuya, we have to do something!" Sakura urged. "I know how you feel, but our digimon just got through fighting!"

Kazuya's argument proved a point. Despite most of them willing to fight, the battle with Dagomon had been long and hard. To make them fight now would not be wise. "Kazuya is right, Sakura. You kids are too important to the digital World." Kawaiimon agreed. "Hey, I think we should move our asses!" Tokomon warned. His voice had yet to break his cutesy tone. Hearing him shout a swear word was too humorous.

His shouts were obeyed, for the Tankmon from behind had caught up. Adding insult to injury, Tokomon's sudden outburst had alerted the others. Yet again, "Run!" was the best choice of words. The Tankmon wasted no time in attacking, Bullets from their arms, missiles from their…noses. Pure carnage rained.

Luck on their side, they dodged and danced the debris that followed in the attacks. The screams of several Hagurumon could not be ignored. Sakura winced at the pained sounds. A loud crash knocked her over. "Sakura!" she heard Chiisi cry. A Tankmon had broken through a wall. Now, it loomed over Sakura. Kawaiimon stood protectively over her partner. Due to her small size, it was almost pointless. The Tankmon turned its head, the cannon point of its helmet lowered. Sakura shivered under its gaze. A missile launched forth. It never reached Sakura. Out of nowhere, appeared a Hagurumon. Leaping in front of the blast, it deleted instantly. Right before, its eyes turned to Sakura and stared right into her.

"Sakura, move!" Kazuya grabbed her arm. She however was still in shock at what had just happened. More halls followed, it was as if the architect had an obsession with them. Kazuya had to drag Sakura along. It was hard attempting to snap her out of it, but she couldn't forget that expression.

_It was as if it died trying to defend me._ She thought to herself. Another explosion sounded, as a Tankmon rolled into view. "Just how many of these things are there?!" Jun complained. The Tankmon lowered its arms to attack. Already it was prepping. Then, all of a sudden, it exploded, as its body was racked with energy. Following that, a metal claw ran through it horizontally, then it deleted. Jumping down in a heroic fashion was a digimon. Its body shape was that of a red ball. Its upper body was completely covered in metal. Its right arm formed into a futuristic cannon, while the other formed a claw. A cyborg digimon it was.

Digimon: MetalMamemon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Data

Type: Cyborg

Attacks: Energy Bomb, Metal Claw, Magnet Beam

The correctly guessed type digimon positioned its own cannon toward the group. "Hold on, we're not the bad guys!" Kazuya frantically blurted. From the fact it was not a Tankmon, everybody assumed it was a friend. The same applied to the MetalMamemon.

"Great Harmonious Ones, you're them, aren't you?" MetalMamemon asked. The group only knew what "them" referred to. "Yeah." Kazuya blurted. "Well, what are you standing around for? Follow me!" MetalMamemon rushed.

Even Sakura got to her feet at that point, finding no sense in staying still. MetalMamemon didn't lead them far, going into another doorway, then shutting it briskly. The cyborg pressed himself against the door, listening. If that was even possible, for he didn't seem to have any ears.

The room itself held the same décor as the one they had entered through, minus the digiport. In place stood a large computer, grand looking if not for a bit of wear and dust. A single coffee mug lay nearby, its contents empty. "Okay, sounds like it's clear, but we've got to hurry." MetalMamemon dashed to his computer, managing to type, despite his limb condition.

Being the leader, Kazuya opened up his mouth to speak. "Save it, kid. I know who you are and yes, I am the head of this branch." Metalmamemon answered. "You're Datamon's friend?" Gazimon asked. "Yep." The cyborg answered.

Typing away, MetalMamemon worked his way through some complex looking programs. "We had a mole in our ranks, then bam! This happens. Not for long, though." MetalMamemon finished typing. Pressing another button, a panel in a nearby wall opened up. "Okay, you ten..." He then trailed off as he noticed Terriermon and Lopmon. "Funny, I thought there were only five chosen?"

"Those two are tagalongs." Jun added. Terriermon crossed his arms. "Actually, I'm a debt collector."

"Annoying tagalongs." Jun added. Lopmon frowned. "I really don't care about the debt." he added. MetalMamemon didn't understand the story behind this, but he didn't care. "Never mind! You all have to leave, now!" he ordered. "What? Why?" Sakura asked, not fond of leaving someone behind. "Because I just set the self-destruct sequence for this base." MetalMamemon announced casually.

Silence reigned for a few seconds then he added, "I would give it ten minutes or so."

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Jun shouted so loud it might've caused everyone permanent hearing damage. "Look girl, this place is doomed and I for one am not going to allow this or myself to fall into the Fallen Angel's hands." MetalMamemon declared.

Sakura understood what he meant by the addition of himself. "You aren't coming?" MetalMamemon shook his body. "Nope. My brain here has enough info to topple the little rebellion network we have going, besides the captain always goes down with his ship." Kazuya grabbed Sakura. "Good enough for me. Thanks man." He said with a nod.

"Kazuya what?" Sakura started, but she was quickly shoved into the panel. The others followed suit, despite the rushed conditions. When everyone was inside, MetalMamemon typed a few buttons, closing the panel. He sat in his seat, awaiting the inevitable. He felt no offense for the goggle-headed one's apparent disregard for his safety. That nod was one of acknowledgement.

In terms of importance those kids were more so than he. Already he could hear the Tankmon pounding at his door. His private sanctum had been breached. Momentarily, he closed his eyes, awaiting the end. How he hoped to talk with Datamon again, the two had practically started this little rebellion. They both had a similar mindset, intelligent if rather cocky, although neither would admit the last part.

It applied at the moment. Maybe if he had been a bit more careful, this little invasion would not be happening right now. The pounding on his door grew louder, until it finally gave way. With his weapons bared, he attacked, ready to give it his all. Behind him, the countdown began.

Outside, the Digidestined made their way forward. It was a fairly straightforward path. A hatch opened up, cleverly camouflaged as ground. No time to sit and gawk at their surroundings, though. All their breath was put into their running, below the timer counted ever closer. Battles raged below and escape above.

Whatever outcome happened underneath the surface didn't matter, for soon a zero appeared on the screen. Behind, the Digidestined saw a large cloud created by the explosion. A message had been made clear, or at least one that fit this situation if morbidly humorous.

"Welcome to Directory."

---

Fallen Angel Castle had grown quiet within the hours. Lilithmon was the first to arrive in the meeting place, followed by Cherubimon. Duskmon arrived last, despite not being a true member of the inner circle. He was only the messenger. The only one absent was Demon. "We've lost contact with the Tankmon." Cherubimon was the first to speak. Duskmon stared up from his spot. "That means they have arrived." Cherubimon nodded. "The Tankmon left us coordinates of that area. We can dispatch an army of troops there." The demon rabbit announced evilly.

"No!" Everybody gazed up, to find Demon walking down the hall. "Handling the troops is _my_ business Cherubimon, not yours."

"Ah Demon, you finally decided to join us." said Cherubimon. Underneath his mask, Duskmon narrowed his eyes. "Where have you been?" he asked. Demon stopped, not taking a seat. "My business is my business." He answered. "Your business pertains to all of us." Cherubimon reminded. This provoked a growl from the demon lord. "Best stick to your assigned role." Demon warned. Both virus types stared at each other, glaring with their single-colored eyes. A chuckle then came from Duskmon.

"Rather suspicious that you are quick to defend Demon. I find it amusing." Demon slammed the table. "You particularly, have no right in this meeting hall!" he growled. "Ooo, your wrath is so terrifying." Duskmon mocked. "Honestly, your own right here is questionable at best." Another growl escaped Demon. Flames started to lick at his lips. Then, Lilithmon spoke. "The master calls." she spoke emotionlessly. Upon her lap, the black digitama glowed. Indeed, it was time to go, for their master beckoned them.

---

Since they had escaped from the base, the Digidestined had done but one thing, walk. Their little "welcome" into Directory had not gone as expected, not too surprising, going by their track rate of surprises. "So, I take it we keep walking until something happens?" Jun was the first to ask. "Not now, Jun. I'm really not in the mood." Kazuya tirelessly requested. Jun shrugged. "What? I'm just commenting."

"I for one, agree with you, Jun." Penguinmon agreed. "This place is kind of scary." The scenery of Directory was not much for explanation. The area was mostly dirt, with patches of grass strewn about, with a few rocks dotting it. But this was probably only one part of the continent.

"Kind of barren, huh?" said Sho. Labramon sniffed the air. "No food." she pouted. This was most depressing for Labramon for she really wanted food. Her grumbling stomach chorused itself. "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure we will find food." Sho tried to reassure his digimon, petting her upon her pelt. It did little comfort.

Sakura herself remained as quiet as Chiisi was, and just as distant, which did not go unnoticed by Kazuya. "Hey Sakura, what's the matter?" At first, she said nothing. However, shortly she opened up. "We could have helped them." she said, quietly. "Excuse me?" Kazuya blinked in confusion. Finally, Sakura turned around, revealing a red face. "You heard me! We could have stayed and helped! We didn't have to run away!" she yelled, surprising Kazuya. He had rarely seen her like this. Normally, he reserved these looks for her scolds.

"Sakura, there was nothing we could have done." Kazuya reasoned. "Yeah, Kazuya knew what he was doing." Gazimon defended his partner, as usual. This didn't convince Sakura. "No! I won't believe that there was no choice!" Kawaiimon nudged her partner's leg after being knocked off Sakura's shoulder in her emotional rant. "I know its hard Sakura, but I agree with Kazuya."

"Whose side are you on?" Sakura asked in disbelief. "Yours, Sakura!" exclaimed Kawaiimon. "I understand how hard it was to watch them all die, but all of you are more important to the Digital World." Kawaiimon looked down at her feet. Even she couldn't deny that the slaughter had affected her. "I think MetalMamemon knew that."

Sakura still didn't look convinced. She kept her face from Kazuya, not wanting to talk anymore. "Excuse me." Terriermon piped up. "I hate to interrupt your adolescent spat, but there's still the matter of my bill." Something other than the slaughter caught their mind's attention. "With this endangerment to my brother and myself, and the disruption, that's going to cost a little extra."

Lopmon couldn't believe his brother was still at it. Well actually, he could, but all this was beyond their control. He was just about to scold his brother until…

"Are you crazy?! We can't pay you!" Kazuya angrily exclaimed. Terriermon crossed his arms. Lopmon decided to sit this one out. "Hey, If you dawdle any longer, it's only going to add up." Terriermon warned. Gazimon saved his partner his voice. "Man, geez, how greedy are you?"

"Nothing wrong with wanting to make a profit and then reward myself." This caught Gazimon's attention. "Rewards, what kind?" he asked. "Oh, you know, the niceties, like woman and pleasures." Terriermon smiled. "Yep, when I establish my own little business empire, I'm going to spoil myself. Maybe get myself a big monocle."

"Don't forget the cigars and sake!" Gazimon added, remembering two of his favorite pleasures besides girls. Terriermon nodded. "Oh yeah, now you are talking, my fellow rabbit." Both rabbits sighed euphorically. This made everybody wonder if dirty applied to rabbits. Lopmon looked down in embarrassment.

Gazimon started to daydream about the future, picturing himself in such a state, surrounded by digimon females of all sizes and kinds. Abruptly it ended, as he felt a sharp pain in his ears. "Don't agree with him!" Kazuya frustratingly cried, holding his partner by the ears.

In his pained state, Gazimon's mind went wild. Reaching up, he bit Kazuya hard on his hand. The goggle-headed boy dropped him with a pained cry. Even though his hand throbbed, he tackled his partner. The two began to fight and wrestle. "STOP IT!" the cry came from Chiisi. Everybody froze and looked at the black-garbed boy. Tokomon sat in his arms. "Stop fighting and act like adults for god's sake!" Chiisi angrily scolded.

Turning his back to them, Chiisi started to walk away. "Couldn't you have let them fight, kid?" Tokomon asked, disappointedly. Chiisi didn't answer, but continued to walk the undecided route. Shortly, everybody followed. Their unwelcome to Directory apparently wasn't finished.

---

Far beneath the surface of Fallen Angel Castle, was a system of caves only accessible via the basements. The Fallen Angels plus Duskmon, traversed their way through. No one spoke, for their minds were concentrated on what lay ahead. After many minutes, they reached their destination.

Flames shot horizontally and vertically, barring any passage. It was a wall of fire. Rune symbols of Digital origin were etched on the white stone walls. Each member bowed reverently. Lilithmon broke her line position, to lay the black digitama at the firewall's mouth.

The digitama glowed and hummed more intensely as it rose in the air. The sound of rushing wind wisped about, as an eerie mist surrounded the digitama. Within the flames, two outlines showed themselves. They were eyes, dark and menacing.

The quartet showed their utter most respect towards the presence that had summoned them. "We heed your call, Master." said Lilithmon.

To Be Continued….

AN: Okay thougths opinions I am open. I am goign to hold off saying the masters name until later. Just want to see if I can suprise you. Enjoy!


	38. Chapter 38

Demon made certain to keep his head bowed and his body kneeled. He couldn't arouse suspicion upon himself, not now, not when the Master was watching. The dark eyes behind the fire made no movement, keeping still at first sight. However, the four assembled knew their Master was looking over. They could sense his gaze upon them

"_My Servants, it pleases me to see all of you here._" The Master stated. His voice was deep and commanding, yet no more than a whisper, more likely attributed to his incorporeal form. Speaking of which, the eyes suddenly fell upon the floating black digitama.

"_Ah, Lilithmon, I see you have been nourishing my body well._" Lilithmon held her head up in pride. "Just as you commanded, oh Master." Lilithmon revered. "The chaos we have wrought upon this world has created a turn in the powers of darkness." The digitama hummed in resonated agreement. "_Yes, you have done well. I can sense it even now._" The master spoke with pleasure. Lilithmon knew she had done her part, but as for the others...

"_Demon, tell me what the progress has been on your conquest of this world?_" The Master said in command. Demon was next to raise his head. "Our forces have advanced as far as the Server continent." Demon explained. "Steadily, we are working our way through Folder as well."

In the Master's eyes there was an unconvinced gleam. "_I sense a disturbance in your progress._" A similar gleam shone in Demon's eyes. He had to say this just right. "Unfortunately, the digidestined have impeded our progress….and I believe they have made it upon Directory."

The fire blazed high, as the Master's rage at this news resonated. "_Yes, they have been most troublesome, but useful at the same time._" The Master's eyes turned in addressing Duskmon. "_I take it Dagomon has been dealt with?_"

Duskmon raised his head upon the question. "Yes, they have stopped his world from overtaking this one." Duskmon lowered his head again. "My apologies Master, I now understand your reasoning for not having me kill the digidestined." Instantly Demon raised his head again. Duskmon continued nonetheless. "Only the digidestined could deal with him accordingly."

"You contacted Duskmon, Master!?" Demon nearly forgot to add on that last bit. The eyes turned to him. "_Duskmon was the only one who could freely move between the Digital World and the World of Darkness. He was the one I felt appropriate to contact._" Demon dare not say anything else at the moment. However, his mind filled with words. "_Could he be starting to suspect me?_" he mentally asked.

"_Cherubimon._" The demon rabbit's turn was next. "_How many digicores have been collected?_" Cherubimon gulped. "Um…well, I'm sorry to say we still have only collected the ones of Miracles and Destiny." He paused as he awaited any form of berate. None came, so therefore he continued. "Unfortunately, I have yet to make any progress on converting them to speed your revival. Their holy energy was…incompatible."

Once more he awaited any form of punishment he felt he deserved. "_No matter. The darkness is already completing my once mighty body._" Cherubimon breathed a sigh of relief. The fates had shone upon him again. "I do have some good news, if I may?" Cherubimon held his head up high as he recalled his more successful experiments. "The chimera soldiers have improved vastly! Soon, they will be ready for deploy!"

If the flames didn't hide his face so well and he had a mouth in his current state, The Master would be smiling. Demon saw another chance. "Master!" he rose. "I shall personally lead them to eliminate the humans!"

"_Excellent._" The Master spoke in a pleased tone. "_However, do not fail me. I grow weary of this prison._" The flames started to dull and the face vanished. The meeting was adjourned and they all left to fulfill their master's orders…orders which they would most certainly not fail.

---

"Run!" Sho shouted. The further they got into Directory, the more trouble seemed to rear its head. Like usual, they did not have a set path ahead. However, this proved rather problematic, as their current situation showed. Who would have guessed they would be caught in the middle of a stampeding Monochromon? They had scanned them already, so there was no need for a second time. And in this state they would be crazy to scan. The steel, gray, triceratops-like digimon charged without prejudice towards anyone in their path.

The kids own digimon were able to keep up. Being digimon, their stamina levels were better than a humans. The digidestined on the other hand, were starting to show some wear, all except Chiisi. Compared to his teammates, Chiisi still looked like he had some breath left.

"Over there!" Kazuya pointed to a series of large rocks jutting out of the ground, perfectly rounded, the most adequate sitting arrangements. Having no other option, the group headed towards the rocks, climbing aboard with some difficulty. More correctly, Sho had the most trouble, as he panicked aboard. "I got ya, Sanbara!" Jun held out her hand, grabbing Sho aboard. Getting his breath in, Sho looked to her. "Thanks." He said.

"Sho-Chan!" Like her partner, Labramon was having equal trouble with getting up. Her paws slipped upon the stone and her face was panicked. The Monochromon were growing closer and they were only inches away from the canine's behind. Sho grabbed hold of his partner's paws and pulled with all his might. "Guys, help me!" Sho pleaded.

Anyone able-bodied grabbed hold and started to pull. In time with the creatures' stampedes, the closer Labramon grew. It was a perfect sync, the horn of a Monochromon slammed into the rock face and Labramon pulled up, landing on her rescuers. The dog looked at herself to make sure everything was there. Not a single hair was missing.

Wagging her tail, she glomped the only one she felt was her rescuer, Sho. Furiously, she licked his face. "Oh, Sho-Chan, my hero! I knew you'd save me!" Jun growled. "What are we?" Labramon licked her partner over and over. When she was done, Sho wiped his slobber covered face. "Don't mention it." he said. Then Labramon started to lick him again.

Below, the Monochromon raged. They had turned from stampeding to fighting amongst each other. Mostly, this consisted of ramming each other with their horns. "Are these guys bipolar or something?" Jun asked. "Bipolar? You mean like, ice?" Penguinmon replied. Jun shook her head. "Nevermind."

Kawaiimon hopped to the rock's edge to get a better look. Another struck the rock, knocking the small In-Training on her bottom. Furry hands helped her up. It was Gazimon. "I'm always there when you fall." He said reassuringly, clicking his teeth. Groaning, she moved out of his grasp. "These are probably two warring tribes." She explained. The Monochromons' actions proved it.

Terriermon tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, this will definitely add to your bill."Kazuya's face immediately turned beet red. He had tried to be adult about this, like Chiisi had scolded, but this was always a lit match to his fuse. Apparently to Lopmon's as well.

"What is wrong with you!?" both boy and digimon cried. "And don't say it's because you are a business mon!" Kazuya shouted. Terriermon shut his mouth, being as that was exactly what he was going to say. "Hey, lay off the guy!" Gazimon stepped in to Terriermon's defense. "All he wants is to make money and indulge himself a little."

Kazuya crossed his arms. "You're just saying that because you found another mon, who like you, is addicted to leaves and girls." Terriermon interrupted with a raised finger. "FYI, I am not addicted. Sure, I like an occasional girl, and a leaf isn't that bad, so long as the flavor is good. Although of course, this one chastises me about my health and habits." Terriermon directed to his brother.

Offended, Lopmon placed his hands to his hips. "Well, excuse me for worrying about my brother's well-being!"

"Oh, come off it!" Terriermon responded. "My bunny blasts are made of fire, so it's not like if I smoke something, my health will decline." This suddenly made Sho think. "You know, I wonder if digimon can get lung cancer?" A growl form Labramon's stomach added another comment. "Or gain weight." Labramon didn't understand that part. "I'm hungry!" was her usual whine.

An angry sigh came from Sakura's end. She had not spoken to Kazuya, still keeping her back to him. "Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked her. She turned her head slightly to him, exposing only half her face. "Nothing to say."

Kazuya couldn't understand how she could still be angry. The same applied to Chiisi. Like his cousin, he sat on his own end of the rock. Unlike Sakura however, he appeared to be closing himself off from the rest. Upon his lap, Tokomon sulked. More than likely he still was upset at his devolved form.

"Hey Chiisi, you ran pretty fast back there." Kazuya cheerfully said. Chiisi said nothing. "The rest of us were loosing breath, but you seemed fine." Kazuya continued. A shrug came from the boy, at least it was a response to Kazuya. "Then again, you are half digimon, so you're probably stronger than the rest of us." This stirred a flinch from the boy's body. "You would probably kill on the track time." Kazuya laughed. "Kazuya, would you kindly do me a favor and shut up!" Chiisi snapped. Kazuya frowned and lowered his head. Now both Kodiros were upset with him. "Great way to upset your childhood friends, Kazuya." He whispered sarcastically to himself.

For moments they laid, while the Monochromon fought amongst themselves. Whatever squabble had broken out, the digidestiend decided to just let it commence. This wasn't their problem, and it wasn't as if they could do any good.

"Hey, what's that?" Labramon asked, looking above. Sure enough, in the sky something was coming…a light, and it was heading right towards them. Before the panicked order to move could be given, the light hit right into the Monochromon herd. Immediately, the saurs went into full frenzy, their former disputes forgotten in their bestial minds. More lights launched forth into the herd scattering them about, even deleting a few. "There's something coming" Penguinmon announced.

Far off in the distance and growing larger, were shapes…tank-like shapes. They were too large to be Tankmon, so that possibility was out of the question. The top reminded them of battleships reminiscent of the ones from World War II. What reminded the group was the fact there were several cannons on board firing missiles. The bombardment continued upon the herd, the chosen group (and the bunny brothers) huddled close together. Many of the herd managed to flee, while the others who were not deleted fell from the explosion visibly wounded.

The crafts neared closer, stopping shortly from the rock piles. Everybody, especially Sakura, looked upon the injured Monochromon. However, no one did anything out of anticipation. Watch and see was the plan, apparently. From the ships, several small shapes could be seen advancing. They were small and orb-like. The moment they neared, they split apart, appearing more like claws then anything. Each one clamped onto the leg of a Monochromon.

The large creatures roared in pain, as electricity coursed through their bodies. Immediately, Sakura was the first to move, only to be stopped by Kazuya and Kawaiimon. "Let me go!" She shouted. "No. We have to wait and see what's going on!" Kazuya replied. "What kind of response is that!? They're in pain!" Sakura argued.

Kawaiimon hopped upon her partner's lap, her arms held out. "To be frank, they nearly squashed us and there's three unknown tank…things." Kawaiimon didn't know how else to describe the odd machines. "We don't know what's going on, so I think it would be best to sit and wait."

Sakura looked reluctant to stop, but did so. Just then, the underbellies of all three crafts lowered, forming into ramps. Immediately, a swarm of what appeared to be cycles appeared. On the back were several digimon. Their bodies were clad in rags and goggles adorned their eyes. "Hey, someone actually likes your style, goggle-boy." Jun said to Kazuya in a disbelieving tone.

Kazuya placed his hands upon his goggles. "My look is good." He defended his style of clothing. The digimon swarmed across the Monochromon. A few got off their bikes. Now that they were close, more of their features could be made out. Across their hips and over their chests, the digimon either wore belts or had sheath-like holsters around their backs.

Now that they were close enough, their digimon type could clearly be seen. They were Gazimon. "Gazimon?" Kazuya's Gazimon exclaimed. Since this adventure had started, Gazimon had not seen another of his kind. To him, it was rather exciting. The excitement then died in that moment. One of the Gazimon brandished a sharp looking knife from his belt. In a swift motion, the horn of one of the Monochromon found itself sliced off. The large creature roared in pain, as did the others as their horns were cut off in a similar manner.

Sakura let out a loud gasp, as did everybody else. Kazuya didn't hold her back for even he found this to be apprehensible. Gazimon especially found it so. "Hey what are you doing!?" He cried, jumping off the rock. "Gazimon, get back here!" Kazuya cried after his partner, but the rabbit was already at the bottom.

The clothed Gazimon looked at their fellow Gazimon with some surprise, but nothing extraordinary at seeing another Gazimon. "Hey, my brothers!" Gazimon greeted. The Gazimon with the knife put up its goggles. Around the eye line was a distinct shadow and some eyelashes. "Oh, and sisters, heh."

Upon the gender revealing, Terriermon bolted down from the rock. The rabbit licked his palm and ran it over his head. "Allow me to introduce myself, my good womon." Terriermon greeted, holding out his hand. "My name is Terriermon and yours?" Gazimon slapped his fellow rabbit's hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm mingling, what does it look like?" Terriermon replied. Gazimon butted Terriermon. "Buzz off, she's mine!" Gazimon challenged. Terriermon narrowed his eyes. "You just referred to her as sister."

"Not in the biological sense! We're not related, so it's not a problem!" Gazimon argued. "Tough! She needs a refined rabbit such as myself." Terriermon declared. On the rocks above, everybody face faulted at the sight. Kawaiimon however, was finding herself strangely envious. "Even on a new continent, he is still a hentai rabbit." She grumbled.

The same could be said for the female Gazimon. The sight of the two men fighting over her like some sort of prize irked her. Snapping her fingers, two other Gazimon whipped out some long sticks from their holsters. However, at the end of this sticks were triggers, pressing them, a burst of electricity shot forth, shocking the two rabbits. Both fell on their back, their eyes a swirl of unconsciousness.

"Gazimon! Brother!" Kazuya and Lopmon cried in concern. Jun simply said. "You don't see that everyday." Kazuya rushed over to his partner and Lopmon to his brother. Both attempted to shake themselves awake, but to no avail. The female Gazimon noticed the metallic glint of the digivice around Kazuya's waist. Then, realizing the fact that Kazuya was a human, told her enough.

"Surround them!" The she-Gazimon commanded in a husky voice. The other Gazimon obeyed, surrounding the rocks with their tazer guns. Things had deteriorated rather quickly. Kazuya thought of the group's options. Their digimon were likely tired, especially after not eating. In addition, a hoard of psychotic, gun-toting rabbits surrounded them. Fighting was not the only option, and as the leader, he felt that he should try to end things non-violently.

Despite his partner being unconscious and probably in pain, Kazuya rose up with a smile on his face. "_Okay Kazuya, just play it cool._" He thought to himself. "Look, I'm sure we can talk things over. There's no need for violence, right?" Kazuya said, trying to hide his nervousness.

The female Gazimon looked back at him. In her eyes, she seemed to be considering the proposition. Kazuya could see it as well and he began to think that perhaps his negotiation skills were okay…good even. Yes, he was confident that all would work out!

---

"Ouch!" Kazuya cried as he slammed face first into the cage. It was mentioned that things had deteriorated quickly in the encounter with the Gazimon. The same spoke of Kazuya's negotiation attempt. In short time they were all shocked, captured, and thrown in some holding cell within the craft.

His face red from the impact, Kazuya looked up, pleadingly. "Hold on, can't we talk!?" Kazuya coughed as a stream of smoke hit his face. The female Gazimon had lit up a cigarillo, and then had blown the smoke in his face. "Geez, does every rabbit smoke?" Kazuya asked himself.

"Shut your mouth, brat!" The Gazimon female spat. Two Gazimon sat at her side, with their tazer guns, or more appropriately gun staffs at the ready. "Just consider yourself lucky we aren't lopping your heads off! Now sit back, we got a trip ahead of us and our employer ain't one to wait!" The Gazimon left the room, shutting the door hard behind them. Outside, the female took another drag on her cigarillo before stomping what remained flat. "The boss should give us a raise for this." She remarked, earning like-wise grins from her comrades.

Meanwhile, back inside the cage, Kazuya was at a loss. "What could have gone wrong? I did everything a good negotiator would." A scoff came from Jun. "If you call that negotiating." She remarked. "Who asked you!?" Kazuya shouted. "Just making a point. All you did was laugh like an idiot, where as the rest of us, save for me, panicked." She shot a glare at Penguinmon. "And you pissed yourself."

Penguinmon looked down, ashamed at his actions. "I was very frightened." He excused. Jun scoffed once again. "When aren't you?" No windows were in this cell, so their location was for them to guess. "Where do you think we're going?" Sho asked. A grumble came from Labramon's stomach. "Just so long as they have yum-yums, I'll be happy. Sho responded by petting his digimon on the head, reassuringly.

Sakura didn't say a thing. She merely sighed and turned away, glancing ever so often at Chiisi. He and Tokomon had been quiet since their capture. The wall the boy placed still stood. Kawaiimon was busy dealing with Gazimon. The rabbit along with Terriermon had awoken to find themselves within the cell.

"Kawaiimon, my sweet honey, you know you're the only girl for me, right?" he asked on his knees. The little digimon kept her back turned, flipping her tail up. "You're only saying that because your "brothers" locked you up." Although not admitting it to anybody but herself, she was rather glad Gazimon turned his attention back to her.

Terriermon had kept his eyes on the female Gazimon. Even if the conditions were antagonistic, he still found their jailer rather attractive. However, one thing remained on his mind. "Man, you kids are going to have one whopper of a bill." Kazuya had just about all he could take. "That's it! I've had it!" He announced, face turning red once more.

Terriermon's eyes bulged as Kazuya pounced, chasing him throughout the cell. Pandemonium abounded within and from what they could expect, more was too come. Directory had already become their least favorite travel spot.

---

Few times had Demon and Lilithmon been in Cherubimon's lab. Mostly, they kept clear due to their own business; however, they admitted silently to themselves, the lab perturbed them. Cherubimon rather was unethical in his experiments, usually involving living subjects. He kept many experiments, often doing several at once. Many already were known since he loved boasting of his genius. The chimera project however, he had kept a secret for now. Far in the back of the lab were six test tubes connecting up and to the ground. A strange liquid filled each, coating a digitama. "Here they are." Cherubimon swelled with pride.

Lilithmon raised her eyebrow. "These are the chimeras you have told us so much about?" she asked with skepticism. Demon crossed his arms in equal skepticism. "You spent all this time working on eggs?" he asked. Normally Cherubimon would vehemently defend his work, however no such anger appeared upon his face. "Your skepticism is expected. I admit this initially was not my design." Cherubimon began. "Originally, I intended to craft Chimera, the digimon spoken of in legends. So I started gathering data from various digimon in the hopes of creating such a beast." Cherubimon frowned. "Alas, I lacked the proper "blueprints" therefore, I split up the data I acquired into smaller samples." He motioned towards the six digitamas before them. "What you see is the condensed form of that data…clones, if you will."

"Clones?" Lilithmon repeated. "Or replicas, if you prefer." Cherubimon added. "The many digital DNA strands they contain makes them more powerful and formidable then any of their kind." Cheruibimon placed one of his hands upon the glass, gazing at his product. If it was even possible for a being of darkness such as him, it could almost be considered love. Most likely, it was a morbid pride. "They just need to acquire one more strand to give them form." added Cherubimon.

"So they aren't complete." Demon stated, finding no need to ask a question. "They are complete!" Cherubimon snapped, his normal behavior now rearing itself. "If they were to hatch now, they would be a mutated anagram of the data they hold, but I designed them to solidify around a particular strand." Cherubimon looked of into the darkness of his lab. "Tsukaimon!" he called.

Out of the shadows, a small digimon flapped into view. It looked like a Patamon only purple instead of orange. The digimon's face held a stern, if worn expression. In its paws, it held a vial containing no liquid, but a DNA nucleus somehow formed into a solid shape.

"Yes, Cherubimon-sama?" The Tsukaimon spoke in a female voice. Like her expression, it was worn. "Tsukaimon, have you prepared the sample?" Asked Cherubimon. Tsukaimon bowed. "I have done exactly as you specified." Flapping over, she handed the vial to her master.

"Since when do you have an assistant?" Demon asked. "Since I made her." Cherubimon answered. "Tsukaimon is a prototype chimera digimon. I implanted my digital DNA into her being, ensuring complete obedience." Cherubimon presented his creation, who merely stared blankly at her master's…no…creator's comrades.

Now the two Fallen Angels understood. "So the DNA not only acts as form, but gives command." Demon realized. "Yes. No matter what, Tsukaimon will only obey me." Cherubimon answered. Lilithmon turned her head towards Tsukaimon. Their looks were the same, if not exact. It was almost eerie. "So who's digital DNA is within that vial?" she asked.

Cherubimon grasped the vial tightly, but carefully enough so it wouldn't break. "All of ours." He answered, garnering questioned looks from his fellow dark digimon. "I took the liberty of sampling all three of our DNA. After all, our goals are one and the same, are they not?" Cherubimon's question gained an immediate nod of approval from Lilithmon. Demon on the other hand did nothing at first. But he covered up whatever hesitation he held quickly before either of them could notice.

"Of course we are all brethren." Demon answered. "However, as I told the master, I shall take the liberty of leading these new warriors." Pleased with the answers given, Cherubimon walked over to a nearby computer. Pressing a few buttons opened up a slot just big enough for the vial. Surely enough, the vial fit perfectly. Pressing a few more buttons, the vial slid inside the computer.

"The data is awaiting transfer. Tsukaimon, flip the switch!" Cherubimon called, excitedly. The rookie bowed. "Yes, Cherubimon-sama." She droned in her dull voice. Flying over to one of the walls, Tsukaimon reached for the only switch. With some effort because of her small size, she managed to flip it. Electric currents hummed within the device, reverberating throughout the lab. They went straight from whatever sources this area contained, into the computer, traveling through some cords and into the test tubes. Bubbles began to rise within the liquid. Inside, the contents began to glow, as the digitama's absorbed the information given to them.

Cherubimon's eyes went wide with delight. "Yes! We have a connection!" he cried, tears starting to brim from his eyes as he quickly broke out into mad laughter. Lilithmon and Demon watched in awe, keeping silent as solid shapes began to emerge from the cracking glass. Both could sense the power coming from the new lives, one that made Demon quite interested.

"_Well, he may have produced wondrous results._" He thought. Yet the idea of shared control wasn't one he intended, nor wanted. "_A few snags, but if I pull it off just right..._" In his last mental muse, his eyes briefly flashed with a glow, one he had gained when he attempted to harness the powers of darkness some time ago. Although in the glow of the room, Lilithmon and Cherubimon failed to notice it. Nor did anyone else see the departing shape of Duskmon leaving the room. He was the only one who could see the dark glint in Demon's eyes. To him it spoke of one thing……treachery.

---

Duskmon calmed his mind. Soon, he felt the castle surroundings fade away. When he opened his eyes, the dark void greeted him. Something lay ahead not seen with naked eyes. Duskmon bowed in greeting, as his master's presence arrived.

"_What troubles you, my servant?_" The Master knew why Duskmon had called him. Duskmon raised his head, his body still in a bow. "Master, I have reason to believe Demon plans to betray you."

"_Really?_" The Master responded, his voice smooth enough to not indicate surprise. "Yes. I can sense his ambition, whereas Cherubimon and Lilithmon remain blind." Lowering his head once more, Duskmon awaited his master's orders.

"_Demon was always ambitions. Unlike the others, he willingly came to me, abandoning his holy lineage._" Said The Master. "_But we shall leave him to his own devices._"

"What!?" Duskmon blurted. "But Master!" he pleaded. "_I have spoken!_" The voice halted any further argument. Duskmon was aghast. How could his master allow such treachery to transpire? His crimson blades withdrew. "Master, I can not allow all your planning to be crushed by that traitor! I will personally eliminate him!"

"_No!_" Duskmon suddenly felt his body constrict. An invisible force had seized him, preventing him from moving. Slowly, he could feel the darkness starting to peel away from him. "_Nothing can stop my revival. Demon will be ended either by the humans or by myself. If the latter occurs, I would consider it a favor._" The Master released Duskmon just as the last bandages of darkness peeled away. In the darkness where Duskmon stood, a human shape lay shrouded by the darkness of the realm.

"_Demon's fate is the same regardless. But I warn you, do not go against my orders. I gave you these powers and I can very well take them away, Drian._" The realm vanished and Duskmon found himself back in the castle and in his comfortable form as a digimon of darkness. Breathing as if he had awoken from a bad dream, he felt relieved he was back to what he had long considered his normal state. Despite the reservation he felt, his master did make a sound point, both in plan and in threat. Slowly, he walked, only to stop to gaze up at the ceiling.

"Are you watching me, Maya?" he asked before walking off.

To be continued….

AN: Okay I think it is official that the rabbit digimon seem to have a fondness for smoking. Per usual I hope you have enjoyed the chapter and please leave your thoughts. Nothing more to say. I just can't make my author notes long can I?


	39. Chapter 39

"Keep moving!" That was the gruff reply that the Gazimon made. Gentle was not the word to describe them. The diminutive rabbits held their gun staffs at the group, making sure none got away. Kazuya raised a hand, fingering his new little accessory. The Gazimon had implanted on each of them a collar. It was like a dog's collar. Fitting, in Labramon's case

"Hey, don't move!" One of the Gazimon thrust the gun staff in Kazuya's face. Pushing the weapon away, Kazuya responded, "Relax, I'm not trying to escape! Back off!"

"I'd keep your mouth shut, boy, if you know what's good for you." The female Gazimon responded, lighting up another cigarillo as she did. Kazuya did so, along with everybody else, for that matter. The vehicle had come to a stop, so whatever their destination was, they would soon see it.

"If you don't mind me asking, my dear, where exactly are you taking us?" Terriermon asked, with a not so small hint of flirtation. "Brother, she said to keep quiet!" Lopmon hissed. "Would you just shove off!" Terriermon retorted.

The female Gazimon's fur started to bristle. Releasing a stream of smoke, she groaned at the commotion. "Shut up, both of you!" she cried, irritably. "If you really want to know, you are presently in Comp City."

"Comp City?" Gazimon repeated. The female Gazimon said no more. The party found themselves at the craft entrance. Opening it, they found themselves in a holding bay for other crafts of this size. It was very reminiscent of SkullMeramon's Blimpmon hangar. The difference was this one held a more busy tone. Several digimon were seen running about. Most were Gazimon, with a few differing digimon also. The armed Gazimon continued on their way. This time, everybody kept silent. The sparks that threatingly charged gave them reason enough.

Labramon's stomach didn't get the message, however, as it growled. "Shush tummy!" She scolded. The organ gave another disappointed growl. No food for it just yet. The group were led down hallways that grew nicer in décor with plants, tapestries and what not. At last, they were herded into a large double-sided door. The armed Gazimon stopped at the door.

"It's me, boss!" Said the female.

The doors opened up, revealing a throne room, so to speak. It was like something out of a medieval fantasy story. Situated on the grand throne was a digimon. On instinct the kids pulled out their analyzers.

Digimon: Minotarumon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Beast-Man

Attacks: Dark Side Quake, Bull Fighting Attack

There was a difference between the two Minotarumon. The one that showed on the analyzer was muscular, the one that seated on the throne…not so much. In other terms, he was out of shape, or simply put, fat. Luxury also befitted him. He wore a regal looking green vest and various jewels adorned his arms, even his horns were encrusted. Pretty much, he was seemingly well to do.

Sho particularly took notice. Looking at Labramon, he painted a mental picture of what might happen if she ever lived with him. "_Probably wouldn't be that extreme._" He thought to himself. The Minotarumon hoisted up a turkey leg, chewing it noisily as he ripped off the meat. The female Gazimon didn't bother putting out her cigarillo and kept smoking. Apparently, the Minutarumon didn't mind.

"Boss, I found some new ones for ya!" She announced. "Bagged something good, it's the humans that have been talked about!" The corpulent Minotarumon looked over the group; a pleased smile crossed his face. "Oh really?" He said, while spitting bits of his meal everywhere, disgusting everybody or those who were not afraid to show it. Jun was one.

"What a slob!" She exclaimed. "Jun!" Penguinmon cried. Unlike his partner, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. The Minotarumon let out a laugh. "I like that one's style!" Rising from his seat, an audible fart belched from behind him. It was official, this guy was disgusting. Minotarumon inspected the group, particularly eyeing the digivices.

"These things allow digimon to evolve?" He asked, but not expecting an answer. "Excellent! This will provide ample battles!"

"Battles?" Kazuya asked.

The smile appeared again. Close as he was particles of meat could be seen. "Yes, I happen to own the finest and only battle arena in Directory. Digimon from all over come to compete, either by choice or by force." It didn't take a lot of detective work for the digidestined to realize what category they fell under.

"What if we refuse?" Kawaiimon snapped, trying to be bold, especially for one of her size and type. Minotarumon smiled. "So glad you asked." From his robe pocket he pulled out a small controller with a single button which Minotaurumon pressed. The moment it was pressed, Kawaiimon let out a scream, as a shock filled her system.

"Kawaiimon!" Sakura cried in fright. Gazimon bridled with anger. "You bastard!" He leapt up at Minotarumon, not caring of the level disadvantage. Another press of the button and Gazimon too felt the shock.

"That's why you'll fight." Minotarumon warned evilly. The armed Gazimon stood by with smirks. "Whenever you do something I don't like, these collars will enforce a "tiny" shock." Tiny was an understatement from the visible pain Gazimon and Kawaiimon were in. Minotarumon pressed the button and the pain ended. "Now, I expect you will stay in line. Digimon can handle these shocks, but I wonder how a human would?"

The kids kept whatever thoughts they had to themselves for the moment. "You two look like you have spunk, so I'll use you as battlers." Minotarumon pointed to Kazuya, Jun, and their respective digimon. "But why!?" Penguinmon blurted, unpleased with the notion of fighting.

"Well, more because she and the Gazimon have a smart mouth." Minotarumon pointed to Gazimon then Jun. Of course, he references their comments. "The rest of you will be escorted to the concession area."

"Concession?" Sakura asked. Minotarumon hardly seemed affected by the question presented. "Yes, paying customers require refreshments." The mention of food perked up Labramon. To her, nothing seemed wrong with that. "And what about my brother and I? Certainly, you have something for us, since this lovely lady included both of us." Terriermon cocked his eyebrow at the female Gazimon.

The female didn't respond to that violently. "Boss, if I may, perhaps I could have these two as my personal assistants?" Something sounded odd about the way she said 'assistants'. Terriermon didn't seem to notice or care, his brother found a hint, but felt like he could do nothing about it. Once more, the group was separated. Four went one way, while the rest went another. The Bunny brothers were led down a separate path. Terriermon was the only one of the two that looked pleased. Lopmon sighed at his brother. As said before, everybody hated Directory.

---

In the room, Minotarumon sat gleefully. He very much was pleased with his decision. However, there were other matters to discuss. "So, any other profits today?" He asked. The only other Gazimon in the room were the female (she would deal with the bunny brothers later) and a male, but he was one of the many background Gazimon, so he wasn't very noticeable.

"Yes, boss, we got some Monochromon horns." The female saluted. The male did the same. Minotarumon gave what sounded like a squeal. "Perfect! The ivory on those will fetch a great price!" The female knew she had done her job well. One problem weighed on her mind. "Boss, what about the Fallen Angels?" Minotarumon snapped out of his thoughts. "What about them?" He asked.

"Well, once they find out you have the humans here, they might get pretty mad." The female warned. Minotarumon simply smiled, hardly affected. "So they won't know for now. I do intend to turn them over in time, but why not make some profits first?" The female Gazimon didn't argue against her boss. She remembered what happened to the last assistant who did so. "Fine, by your leave, I'll attend to my new assistants." The female smirked.

Minotarumon waved both rabbits off and the two obeyed. Right before the male left, there was a slight gleam in his eyes, a flash of red.

---

"I can't believe I am wearing this." Sho griped. It was an embarrassing ensemble. Once they had been separated from Kazuya and Jun, the others had been forced into food service.

They all wore a simple white skirt, with a frilly design. The problem was there were no male equivalents, only the masculinity of the body would show gender. Sho and Chiisi didn't look too pleased, actually Chiisi had never looked pleased since they got here. Tokomon also fit the displeasure, for there were even sizes reserved for In-Trainings.

Sakura, Kawaiimon and Labramon being girls already, didn't really care. "Refreshments here! Anyone!" Sakura cried, offering her tray of various foodstuffs. Not peanuts or popcorn, but burgers and fries. Fast food always worked. The In-Training digimon merely tagged along, not being able to hold the trays. Labramon fit under that category too, for obvious reasons. Sho practically had to fight her to keep her from devouring the food.

"This stinks!" Tokomon shouted. "If they wanted a battler they should have picked me! Am I right, kid?" Tokomon looked to his partner finding no answer. "Oh come on! Snap out of it already! I mean, look at me. I'm a shrimp, but I'm not being gloomy about it!"

"I don't really see the difference between whining." Kawaiimon quipped. Tokomon growled. "Put a sock in it!" Sakura kept her cool amongst the situation, acting as a mediator between arguments. Still, she found herself upset with Kazuya, partially. A battle was starting. She had not paid much attention to it, focusing entirely on her task.

"I wonder how he's doing?" She wondered aloud. Upon her shoulder, Kawaiimon hopped. "I'm certain Kazuya's fine." Turning away, she muttered under her breath. "And Gazimon too." Sakura went back to business as she heard a cutomer call her. "I'm not that worried!" She retorted.

Whilst Sakura seemed to be having an easier time, Sho was having a difficult experience. "Hey, hurry up with that!" A digimon called impatiently. Sho rushed up the stairs. "Coming!" He huffed. "Burger, over here!" Another digimon called. "Be right there!" Sho tried to address the other patron. This was going on back and forth. That is, until he nearly tripped. Nervously, he tried to regain his balance and surprisingly, he caught himself.

Labramon in concern, ran up to her partner, but was relieved to find he was alright. "Guess clumsy Sho has left the building." Said Sho. Maybe it was the result of this digimon adventure. "You know Sho-chan, if you want, I could hold the food tray." Labramon suggested. Sho caught the greedy, hungry gleam in her eye. "No thanks. I got it." Sho held the tray far from Labramon's reach.

Labramon was not one to give up on food. "Come on, Sho-chan. I want to help!" she attempted to climb up Sho's leg. "No, this isn't for you!" Sho struggled. "I'm hungry!" Labramon whined. The canine would not give up her hunger filled desires. Nonetheless, Sho, despite not enjoying his forced servitude, would not give up. "Clumsy idiot, watch what you're doing!" An angry voice called out amongst the crowd.

Sho and Labramon stopped their squabble, but found they were not the ones being yelled at. The unspilled food tray showed that. In the row below them was another worker, a digimon, more precisely a Gomamon. The little seal looked absolutely downtrodden as the digimon, an Ogremon screamed at her.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll get a refill." She apologized. The female voice, Sho and Labramon recognized it. The shape, the voice, it could only be one digimon. "Goma-chan?" Sho asked. The Gomamon perked up at the vocal utter of "chan". Only one would call her by her nickname, for he was the only one ever told to do so. Her eyes flowed with tears, which quickly became little waterfalls. With a leap, she cried. "Sho-sama!"

Sho nearly fell over, as the Rookie glomped him. "Sho-sama, you're here! My life now has meaning!" Sho nervously laughed. "Glad to see you, too." Labramon was not so glad. She found her anger hard to contain as the growls bellowed, and her teeth started to grind.

---

"Ladies and gentlemon!" The announcer shouted. "Do they have to keep saying 'mon' at the end of everything!?" Jun complained. "I mean, I get their names end in mon, but come on, that's just overdoing it!"

Kazuya didn't care either way. They and their digimon had been shoved into a pen, battlers was what they were called. Apparently, they were the main show, as no other digimon were in the pens. They had passed a few on the way, but he supposed they were "special". Above, the announcer spoke other things, too announcer-related for anybody to care. "Let the battle commence!" The announcer said at last. The gates opened as the crowd cheered.

Gazimon stood at the ready, eager to prove his might. Of course, his mind was dead set on fame and fortune. Penguinmon had the only understandable reaction, fearfully hiding behind Jun. At the opposite end of the arena stood two digimon, one Kazuya recognized. It was Greymon, the first digimon Kazuya had seen besides Gazimon. It would be better to say the first virus infected digimon.

"Greymon?" Gazimon cracked his knuckles. "Easy as pie." The other digimon was a new one for them. It looked like a giant chicken, put simply. The tail feathers had red tips and a blue mohawk lay on top. A giant chicken definitely was a new one for them.

Digimon: Kokatorimon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Data

Type: Bird

Attacks: Petrifier, Feather Cutter

"Okay, I'll accept this." Kazuya remarked, looking at his analyzer. Digimon always had a way of surprising them. "All battlers to the field." The announcer shouted again. Jun mimed Gazimon's knuckle cracking. That was her trademark after all. "Guess its show time." Jun remarked with excitement. The girl held up her digivice, ready to make her digimon evolve. Kazuya did likewise. "Yeah, but let's stick to Champion."

"What? Why?" Jun asked. "If we go Ultimate, we can kick ass and get this over with."

"Yeah, but we don't want to waste any more energy than we have to." Kazuya argued. "We don't know how many battles we have to fight, or if our opponents are all champion-level."

"All right! All right! You don't have to go all explanatory on me." Jun warded off the leadership speech that she expected was coming.

Greymon and Kokatorimon had kept still, as if they were waiting for their opponents to make the first move. Therefore, they did. From their belts, the light of evolution enveloped the two Rookies.

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon!**"

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

The crowd ooed and awed at the spectacle. Apparently, evolution really was extraordinary. That was the signal that Kokatorimon and Greymon needed. Genkimon moved in first. Saberdramon didn't really do anything. Oddly enough, the shock collars had grown to match. The designers were prepared for anything.

"Genki Rush!" Genkimon remembered his first battle. The same move had finished the previous Greymon. Right for the neck and it would all be over soon. Then, in a sudden motion, the Greymon smacked Genkimon with his tail. The armored rabbit torpedoed down into the ground.

"Nova Blast!" The Greymon spat a fireball. Genkimon, the moment he had been hit, got himself up and made it out of the fireball's way, just as the fire nearly burned him. Looking up at his opponent, Genkimon blinked his eyes. "So, you're a smart breed." Speech that came from the dinosaur told him just as much.

As Greymon had chosen Genkimon as his target, Kokatorimon had chosen Saberdramon. Not that Saberdramon wanted it. "H-h-old on. I don't want to fight!" Saberdramon trembled. Jun was glaring at him; he didn't have to look behind to know it. Kokatorimon squawked a laugh. His amusement at the coward before him didn't deter his fighting skills, however.

"Don't worry, I'll put you to rest." He said in mock reassurance. "Petrifier!" A wave of energy came forth with a flap of his wings. It couldn't be seen weather it was from his eyes or his beak. In a panic, Saberdramon did the only thing he could think of…fly.

Saberdramon wasn't fast enough, however. The wave clipped one of the bird's wings. Instantly, it turned to stone. Saberdramon froze as he noticed his petrified limb. "My wing! My wing! Somebody fix my wing!" Saberdramon whined and cried.

Jun slapped her head in embarrassment. Kazuya could feel her feelings, but his own were directed to his own digimon. The boy felt like such a background character, where as his digimon was getting all the action.

Genkimon tried to match his opponent's strength with his own, and when that didn't work he went with speed. For one with such a large size, Greymon was quite the efficient battler. Experience, no doubt.

"Why won't you go down!?" Genkimon said between aura powered kicks and punches. Each time Greymon would block, or answer with a tail swipe. "Nova Blast!" Genkimon nearly lost his fur. "Can't you do anything else!?" Genkimon cried. The Greymon had not spoken anything other than his attacks, until now. "How about this?" Opening his mouth wide, he clamped down. Genkimon saw nothing but darkness and felt the moisture of saliva, as Greymon tossed him around.

Since they were on a single attack basis, Genkimon did his own favorite. "Genki Rush!" He began to vibrate, the aura swftening his movements. Greymon suddenly found his move to be an unwise one. Immediately, he spat out Genkimon. It had worked despite him getting drenched in enzyme goop.

Saberdramon's own battle had progressed somewhat. His wing still was petrified. The avian ran around, screaming his head off at his attention. Kokatorimon continued his onslaught by firing his "feather cutters". Knife-like feathers shot out of his wings.

"Just hit him you weakling, or I'll give you something to cry about!" Jun shouted, trying to spur on her partner. Saberdramon didn't listen. His own fears outweighed him. He couldn't even think of any attacks, they all got lost in his throat. Instead, he flapped his wings rapidly, hoping to hit something. Kokatorimon soon found himself dodging the hysterical bird.

"Watch it, will ya!" Kokatorimon screeched. Saberdramon still wasn't in the talking mood. "Fine, then I'll shut you up!" Kokatorimon prepared another petrifying move. Just as he was about to shout out the attack, Saberdramon's stone wing hit him. He flew from the impact, sailing towards Greymon landing just on his armored head. In a freak twist, he completed his attack and Greymon was completely and utterly petrified.

Stunned as the crowd was, Genkimon saw his moment. A devious smile crossed his mug as he poked the Greymon statue. The stone dino fell over. He didn't break, but had knocked out Kokatorimon, for he had rolled off and then was unfortunately crushed underneath his partner.

A hush fell over the crowd. "Uh…We have winners!" The announcer cried, sending the crowd into a cheering frenzy. Genkimon basked in the glory. "Yeah, I'm awesome, I know!" He proclaimed to his (as far as he was concerned) adoring fans.

Saberdramon cared not for the adoration, he just wanted his wing to be fixed. Jun and Kazuya were dumbfounded for a moment. "I guess that's a battle." The girl remarked.

---

The male Gazimon found his background quality quite useful. That was his role, blend in to the point where he didn't become noticeable. All the rest of the Gazimon were busy with their own duties that the fat slob ordered them. Reaching into one of his sashes; he pulled out a small transceiver. Pulling out the antenna, he spoke into it.

"Demon-sama it's me."

---

Demon responded to his own transceiver. "This is Demon, speak servant."

"_The digidestined are here in Comp City. Minotarumon is planning on using them for the battles._" The Gazimon spoke. Demon grinned. "Ah, I see. Minotarumon always was a pretender. I think he has only hastened his death. Besides, since he took control, Comp City has become an eyesore." Demon's grin widened. "Yes, I think his death has been hastened."

"_Will you be arriving?_" The Gazimon asked. "No, I was going to kill him anyway. I've already sent three. You'll know them when they arrive." The transmission ended. Demon turned. "Yes, things are already falling into place." He said, pleasingly. In the darkness were the shapes of the chimera clones, three of them to be precise. The other half were long gone, sent to Comp City. The dark powers that he had gained in Dagomon's tutelage had come in handy. Teleportation was randomly convenient.

---

The food service quarters was rather well off, several digimon slunk off to bed, as their duties for the day were finished. The digidestined didn't leave right away, no, they were rather hungry; being around steaming fast food would do that. Currently, they were in what appeared like a normal fast food restaurant.

"Well, my new workers have been very useful today." A Burgermon strode up, carrying a tray of food. Their boss was what he was. They had been introduced earlier and despite the seemingly hostile conditions, the Burgermon was a rather nice sort. It reminded them of the Ebiburgermon they had met on the train. The difference was Burgermon held a tan color scheme and a patty hat, lacking the shrimp decoration.

In moments, they pounced upon the food, digging into the meat and salty potatoes. The taste was heavenly, much better than the food they had previously consumed on their journey. "Better eat up. Knowing Minotarumon, tomorrow is going to be packed."

Feeling comfortable with their employer, Sakura was the first to speak. "Has the city always been like this?" She asked between mouthfuls. She was not trying to be rude, it was just that she was so hungry.

Burgermon shifted his hat slightly, seemingly uncomfortable in the question. But he answered right away. "More of the same, if not, a little better before Minotarumon. This city, along with all the major ones in Directory, are ruled by different crime families."

"Crime families?" Kawaiimon asked, giving a tiny burp before excusing herself. "Yes. Different parts are controlled by several crime families. Sure, there are some disputes now and then, but most of the time things were rather alright."

Sakura swallowed. "Alright with criminals?" She asked, questionably. Burgermon understood her feelings on the matter. "Hey, at least they aren't trying to control the world. What you could call it is a stalemate. Each one agreed to a mutual respect. That is, until the Fallen Angels came. Most of the crime families tried to oppose them and they got wiped from the map."

"So, we can assume Minotarumon is the leader of this city's crime family." Kawaiimon said, as she munched on some french fries. "Oh, this is delicious!" she exclaimed. The answer was cut down by a wave of the hand. "Nah, he used to be a guard for the original arena head. Put simply, he staged a coup and took over."

Indeed a simple response, so they accepted it. "Well, I should be getting along, the same applies to you and your friends." Burgermon pointed over to Chiisi and Sho who had slunk away to their own tables. Sakura focused on Chiisi. He numbly sat there, eating the remains of his burger. Taking the moment, Sakura walked over, hoping to break down the wall that Chiisi had put up.

"Don't even try. I know why you're over here." Chiisi spoke up before the girl even sat down. Sakura blinked, confused. "You're going to tell me everything is alright, that things will work out." The boy tensed up. "Chiisi, I know how you must feel." Sakura began. "Do you!?"

The girl didn't back off, despite her surprise. "My father was an evil digimon who raped my mother to make me. Then, she took her life because she couldn't bear the trauma of having me." Tears dropped to the tabletop.

He was an abomination, at least, that's how Sakura thought he felt. "That doesn't matter to me." Said Sakura.

Chiisi didn't look up at her, so she continued. "It doesn't matter whether you're half digimon. You're still human, and still my little cousin." Sakura didn't prepare a teary speech, but rather hoped her words would affect Chiisi.

"Yeah! Besides, there's nothing wrong with being a dark being." Tokomon chimed. "Look at me, I'm dark and you just love having me around, right?"

Tokomon sat there, awaiting his partner's answer. There came a sniffle followed by a wiping of tears. At last, Chiisi looked up and pet his partner's head. His mood still seemed depressing, but at least he showed some signs of happiness, which was good enough for Sakura.

"Don't you think you should talk to Kazuya?" Kawaiimon asked. "Huh?" Sakura responded. Kawaiimon made her way up her partner's shoulder. The fast food was good, but she felt a little logey after eating such a meal. "You've been too hard on him. If things are hard for Chiisi, just imagine Kazuya trying to keep everybody together after this."

Sakura understood her partner's point. Maybe she had been too hard on Kazuya. They couldn't save every digimon they came across, that was for sure. Next time she saw him, she would have to make it right. Just then, a loud nose-blow interrupted them. At the other end of the table sat Goma-chan.

A comically large box of tissues lay about the table. The seal took another and blew her nose. "Thank you, Sho-sama."

"No problem." Sho handed her another one. "Goma-chan, what are you doing here?" The little seal blew her nose once more. "My tale is not for the faint of heart." She declared sadly. "After you left, this horrible fiery digimon came and destroyed my village. Everybody was killed and I, the only survivor."

"Was it a SkullMeramon?" Sho asked. Goma-chan nodded her head. "I managed to escape and after many trials that I will not mention for the sack of rating, I found myself here where I was forced into slavery."

"Hey, if you don't like it, I can get you assigned somewhere else!" Bugermon called, stepping out the door. Goma-chan panicked. "Kidding, boss! I love it here, heh, heh!" Sho hung his head down. "I'm sorry. It's our fault." Goma-chan looked curiously at him. "SkullMeramon was after us. Your village was just in his way." Sho kept his head down, not daring to look up. "Please forgive us."

Goma-chan smiled. "Sho-sama, you don't have to apologize. I don't blame you at all." Sho was happy, but suddenly felt nervous as Goma-chan's demeanor changed. "Besides, you are here to make all the pain go away!" She purred.

A low growling came from the opposite side of the table. Labramon had put up with enough. She had been willing to handle just a single, normal-sized portion of a meal, but Goma-chan was pushing it. "You know, Sho-chan is probably really tired, so we should be getting to bed."

"Well, he can sleep with me! The rooms aren't gender specific." She said, suggestively. "Actually, Sho-chan would enjoy sleeping with me!" Labramon replied. Sho felt he should correct the whole wording of the sentence. Sleeping with him didn't quite sound right.

"You? You probably are ridden with fleas." Goma-chan laughed haughtily at the thought. "My fur is very clean!" Labramon slammed her paws upon the table. "It's you who should be cleaned! Swimming around in the salty ocean!" Goma-chan held her nose up high and snootily. "That's better than being a smelly mutt."

Sho froze and remained so as the girls stared each other down. He knew what was coming and he prepared himself for the fight. Why did quadrupeds find him so attractive?

---

The battlers each had their own quarters, well, a few large rooms, really. Kazuya and Jun had been given the same treatment, only two beds, though. Other battlers were outside giving them jealous stares. Kazuya supposed it was due to the special treatment they were given. Minotarumon's orders, more likely.

Penguinmon whimpered at his wings. The petrifaction had worn off, but the little bird didn't feel any better. "Oh, snap out of it, you baby!" Jun tapped her partner on the head. Gazimon, unlike his fellow digimon, had never felt better. The only thing missing was a drink, a smoke, and Kawaiimon or Fairydramon, any form would work.

"Man, did you see that? All those fans cheering for me." Gazimon reclined in the bed. "Kazuya, my dear boy, I believe we hit the jackpot. Kazuya?" Kazuya kept his back to the wall. "We can't stay here forever. We've got to find a way out." Kazuya slammed the wall. "Just don't know how."

"Relax, you'll figure it out." Jun said, reassuringly. "Easier said than done." Kazuya retorted. "Hey, it will happen. You're the leader after all." Kazuya chuckled. "Yeah, some leader I turned out to be. My best friend hates me and I got us captured."

"Technically, it was mostly his fault." Jun pointed to Gazimon who glared at her. "Besides, Kodiro doesn't hate anything. She'll forgive you and then you two can get down to admitting those feelings you have." That much was true. As far as he had known her, Sakura wasn't one for hate. "It's funny that you could be right." Then Kazuya remembered the last thing Jun said. "What do you mean 'feelings'!?" He exclaimed with a blush.

---

"Harder, and don't forget to point it." The female Gazimon ordered. Terriermon filed harder, but not as roughly, as he worked on the female's toe nails. The female (or gorgeous as Terriermon called her) had made good on her promise to make the bunny brothers her own personal servants. Terriermon kept up the beauty treatment and Lopmon the cleanup. As a high-ranking official in Minotarumon's group, Gorgeous had received finer living condition. Nothing too fancy, just more exclusive.

Lopmon picked himself up, as he scrubbed the dirty floors. It sickened him to see his brother reduce himself to such working condition, all for a girl that obviously didn't like him. He had told his brother that much, yet he didn't give up. Terriermon was certain if he kept at it, he could move up in rank, opening up business conditions and romance.

Lopmon sighed. "If this was a story, there wouldn't be any more need for description." That was all he said and nothing else.

---

Minotarumon looked over the bounties of his minion's work. It had all been worth it. Climbing his way through the ranks then taking it all in one swift coup. The ivory from the Monchromon horns would fetch a hefty price and the bets of the battles would provide even more. This entire city was his. Since he had taken control, he had made battling the prime source of economy in this city. That and fast food.

He took a bite of his hamburger then one out of his second, both super sized. So what if he had let himself go? Luxury could make even the most able-bodied warriors become flabby. The bits would just keep coming in. The moment everybody learned about humans in the battles the bets were placed.

His orders were always for any Gazimon to not bother him when he was counting his money. But he felt it, he wasn't alone. Standing at the door opened slightly ajar, was a Gazimon. All of them looked the same, yet this one held some sort of background quality to him.

"What are you doing here!?" Minotarumon bellowed, spitting forth bits of his meal. The male Gazimon looked up at his boss. "I have a message from Demon-sama." Before Minotarumon could question, the door split apart. Vines entrapped him, strangling his breath to a mere gasp. As they wrapped harder, he realized they were not vines, but cables.

"DID YOU THINK YOUR DEFIANCE WOULD NOT GO UNNOTICED?" A robotic voice asked. Minotarumon croaked out a "Dark Side Quake!" The attack never made it. Squeezing harder, the source of the cables stepped into the room. "Who…are…you?" He wheezed, mostly from being out of shape.

"DEMON-SAMA HAS GIVEN MY BROTHERS AND I A NAME. WE ARE HIS ARMS, HIS STRENGTH, HIS DEMON-CORPS." Minotarumon tried to resist, but that only brought on more squeezing. "SOUL ASIMILATION!" The cables broke apart, digging into the soft flesh. In mere seconds, Minotarumon's data was broken apart and absorbed into the cables. Traveling to their source, the new information started to shift the form. In another set of seconds, the shape of Minotarumon stood.

The new Minotarumon observed his form with disgust. "You have made arrangements?" He asked the Gazimon, his voice dropping the robotic tone and taking on the pitch of Minotarumon. "Yes, the other two have been entered." The Gazimon bowed his head. "My purpose has been fulfilled."

The Gazimon broke apart, as the cables enveloped him and absorbed his being. The faux Minotarumon watched as his extensions disappeared into himself. Disgusting as this new form may have been, he heeded his genetic father's commands. The Demon Corps had made their mark and they would make another during tomorrow's battles.

AN: Finally it is here. I am leavign the identeties of the Demon Corps ambigous for now I do have ideas so jsut read on to find out. You know I do wodner if Digimon can get fat. Labramon probably should be with the way she eats but I suppose one excuse is that with all the moving and the constant evolutions it burns off anythign she eats. If that makes sense. Please R and R as opinions help me. More importantly enjoy!


	40. Chapter 40

Morning rose over Comp City. Those who stayed inside the battle arena failed to see the metropolis that spread…well, past metropolis that is. The battle arena had slowly become the main attraction since Minotarumon's coup. The arena circled in the center whilst everything else ran around. It was sort of like a jelly donut. The real flavor was in its gooey center, the rest was just dough. Like all bread, however, mold grew. The same applied to the buildings. Mold of corruption spread throughout the city. Back in the days of the previous family, the city was well kept as business spread the way they saw fit.

Then, Minotarumon took over and all profits alternated to the battle arena. Many gambled their savings on the fights, some winning while others went to the gutters. As such, the buildings and businesses dilapidated and closed. The former sheen now was lost. Below, the crowds were gathering either to spend frivolously, or to regain all they had lost.

In his office, Minotarumon watched them. Or rather, he only looked like Minotarumon. A disgusted look crossed its pudgy face. "Such waste of digital life." He muttered. The plan had been set. The sooner it was initiated, the sooner he could remove this fat laden skin.

---

The workers went about their daily business as usual. Crowds were pouring in, not an unusual sight. Money was always good on days such as this and that meant more bucks for them. Food workers hurried to meet the demands of the hungry. Whereas battlers prepped themselves for the blood and sweat that was to spill.

This applied to two groups, forcibly put into labor. The digidestined had a good night, in fact that had been the only good part of this whole ordeal. Slaves were what they were, nothing more, nothing less. Each group had some unwanted tagalongs (Labramon's opinion of Goma-chan), as they walked down the hallways.

A corner came and as they turned, they met. Kazuya and Sakura were the first. "Oh!" Both exclaimed. Their eyes met and gazed into each other momentarily. "Hi." They said then turned away. "If it isn't the lucky gang. How was food service?" Jun asked, slightly snickering at the group's choice of uniform.

Sho tugged at his skirt embarrassingly. At his heel, Goma-chan and Labramon hung close. This served as further embarrassment to the boy. Neither girls seemed ready or willing to back off from him. Surprisingly or not, both were growling at each other. Chiisi's mood seemed brighter than yesterday. That was saying much for his usual icy complexion. Tokomon matched his partner if only for his never ending disappointment at his current form.

"Kawaiimon, my sweet!" Gazimon exclaimed. Kawaiimon gaped as Gazimon grabbed her in a hug. Sometimes, it didn't pay to be tiny. "Did you miss me, my sweet honey?" He asked, rubbing his face against her head. Gazimon had yet to learn that his affection was largely unwanted. Kawaiimon showed this by biting the nearest thing that came within sight. In this case, it was Gazimon's hand.

"Ow!" Gazimon cried, dropping the In-Training. Kawaiimon snorted a small spark before returning to Sakura's side. Shaking his hand, Gazimon smirked. "Love bite." He chuckled. "Guys off to work, I see." Jun noted. Sakura found this a distraction from her deal with Kazuya. "Yeah, back to the old grind." Sakura said, trying to joke. It didn't work.

"So, you guys just serve food?" Penguinmon suddenly asked. Tokomon disgustingly looked at his own apron. "Unfortunately, yes." Staring at the frilly white uniform, Penguinmon hopped over. "You want to trade?" Tokomon blinked. "Excuse me?"

The bird's eyes started to tear up. "It's horrible! The fights are loud and scary and my wing got turned to stone!" The tears ended as he looked over the apron." Besides, I think that looks really cool to wear." Penguinmon's eyes squirted as a sharp pain pounded on his noggin. Jun withdrew her fist from the smoking lump that now formed. "Men don't like frilly outfits."

"The lardo's decision on jobs is final." A voice called down the hall. The food employees knew it was Burgermon. "Burgermon, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked. The manager walked ahead of them, stopping at the front. "Just making sure my employees are rushing along. Stands are packed so they need all the help they can get." Like a drill sergeant he looked over his forced employed. "Now, everyone look sharp. This is a big day and unless you want the big one to shock us, we should get moving!" Everybody moved. Shocks were not pleasurable feelings. However, Sakura stopped as did Kazuya, as she got in his way. "Kazuya." Sakura said.

Kazuya felt heaviness in his chest. He hadn't spoken to Sakura since yesterday. "Yeah?" This was equally hard for Sakura. It took a nudge from Kawaiimon to encourage her. "Good luck out there." She actually said something encouraging to him. It was a change he welcomed. Not really a change, but a return to the friend she had been before yesterday. "Thanks." He greeted.

"You don't have to wish us luck!" Gazimon smirked. "We handled it pretty well out there."

"From what I saw, you just got lucky." Kawaiimon snipped as she had watched the fight from the stands. Gazimon sighed. "I know how you hide your concern, my dear, but worry not! Your man will be safe and sound!" Kawaiimon rolled her eyes. "Lucky me."

"Hey, you four, hurry up!" Burgermon called. The quartet did so, not wanting one of Gazimon's devilish cousins to give them a little warning via neck. Suddenly, they felt optimistic about today.

---

Indeed, it was a busy day, for the stands were packed with paying customers. Many had their eyes on the arena below, in hopes for the winnings to bring them out of debt. Of course, they themselves didn't seem to notice or care that by coming here, they incurred even more debt.

"Idiots." The female Gazimon sardonically replied. She took another drag on her cigarillo as she looked over the crowd. Harsh sounding as her statement was, it was true. Only those with single digit intelligence would continue to support this, crippling them financially.

Yet here she was, working for Minotarumon. Her only reason was the pay, which was substantial…well, that and the perks that came with having a high position. "Is this any better?" Terriermon asked, as he finished filing the female's toe claws.

The perks she thought of were right at her feet. Being second to the boss, the Gazimon female was rather well off. The boss currently was away and Minotarumon rarely came out to see the fights. His only concern was counting his money, and scarfing down burgers. The female's seat was next to Minotarumon's. Plush and velvety summed it up about right.

At her feet, the bunny brothers worked at making sure her claws were perfectly filed. She found a clear distinction between the pacing of the two brother's work. Lopmon worked at a reluctant pace, whereas Terriermon was thorough on his assignments. The female liked that, even if his flirting was rather annoying. However, she didn't complain, not with service such as this.

"Very good." She congratulated Terriermon. The male rabbit beamed in pride. "You could take an example from this one." She said to Lopmon. "Yes ma'am." He answered listlessly. Better to play along and just get this over with, was Lopmon's consensus. If there ever was anyone disgusted, it was Lopmon, but it was towards his brother. It was really degrading to see his brother reduced to such behavior. He failed to understand how this could be any kind of business opportunity.

"Hey, I didn't say stop." The female snapped them back to work. Whilst the brothers toiled away, the female kept a close eye on the match below. It was still her job to make sure nothing funny went on in the match. Minotarumon may have backstabbed to get where he was, but he didn't condone cheating.

---

"Ladies and Gentlemon!" The announcer cried. Jun scoffed at the utterance of mon. "Always with the mon." She commented. The gates of the arena were firmly shut. Outside, the announcer gave the same talk as yesterday's fight. Kazuya and Jun waited for it to be over. Gazimon grew antsy, as he wanted to fight. The only one who looked happy was Penguinmon. The bird had a good reason to be so. It appeared they were not the ones to fight first.

The gates opened up as the announcer finished. The two combatants stepped out. "Our first contestants are no strangers here!" The announcer apparently wasn't finished. "These two are the finest examples of a tag team. Compatriots, buddies, pals whatever you call them, they're champions! Introducing Leomon and Ogremon!"

The aforementioned digimon were both Champion levels. Leomon was a humanoid lion with golden fur and a flowing mane. Broad muscular shoulders and pectorals draped with a ceremonial necklace, even with the shock collar. Lastly, he wore a pair of brown pants, and a sword was sheathed behind him.

The other one, Ogremon was a green-skinned monster. Muscular built, yet boney in some areas. A mop of spiky white hair hung out behind his horned head. Oddly, his mouth hung open agape. Like his companion, he held a weapon, a club, and had clothing. However, it was simply a loincloth.

Stepping out into the arena, each one of them grasped an arm and looked each other in the eyes. "Good luck out there, buddy!" Said Leomon. "You too!" Ogremon did the same. Jun blinked. "This seems really ironic, but I don't know why." The gates closed behind the pair as they stepped onto the field. "Our next contestants..." The announcer started, but halted in his speech. "Hold on, wait a second." Over the loudspeaker, the sound of rustling paper could be heard.

"Sorry for the delay, just checking the roster. Uh, these next two combatants are late entries. May I introduce, Phelesmon and Grendmon!" Out of the opposite gate stepped the mentioned digimon. Slowly, they strode forward, providing a dramatic entrance, as the gate shut behind them. Phelesmon was a living embodiment of the image most had when thinking of the devil. His skin was blood red, complete with a forked tail. A display of black leather meshed into his skin, forming into clothing. Boots, pants and at last, a hooded vest like Dracula. There was a distinct bat theme going on from the collar at his neck to his wings, which appeared to come from his clothing. In his gloved claws, he held a pitchfork, completing his mixed theme.

Grendmon was far muscular than his counterpart. He was a human troll, with scaly silver skin and just a hint of gold at the edges. Actually, only a few patches were scales, everywhere else looked like smooth skin. Clear blue eyes disrupted the monstrous image that he presented. His head held a patch of wispy graying, black hair that parted right down his back. The ears were pointed, yet rather small and his lower jaw was an under bite.

For a moment, a hush fell over the crowd. Following were frustrated cries as obvious bets had been disrupted. "Okay, let's fight!" The announcer cried half-heartedly in confusion at the transpired events. Leomon and Ogremon went right for their opponents without so much a word. They truly were a team. Their moves were the same as they went in opposite directions. Leomon drew his sword in one hand and Ogremon with his club in the other.

"Ah, this takes me back; this is a favorite tactic of these two!" The announcer called out, reminiscently. Both leapt into the air with their free hands raised. "Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon cried. "Pummel Whack!" Ogremon cried. In both their free hands, ki formed and solidified. Leomon's formed into the shape of a lion, whereas Ogremon's held no such shape. In golden and blue flashes, they released their attacks.

"Alright!" Both cried, as their attacks were unleashed. Phelesmon and Grendmon did nothing but look on, as the attacks collided with them. A fancy explosion followed as the pair descended to earth. They each struck dramatic manly poses as their fans cheered. In the cell, Penguinmon cheered as he gazed at Leomon with adoring eyes.

"Wow! He's so strong and fierce! I wish he'd protect me!" The little bird flapped his flippers in a clap. Suddenly, Jun conked him on the head. "Ow! Jun, why did you do that!?" He cried as the tears started to form. Jun made a disgusted sound as she felt she had lightly tapped him.

"You're spreading mixed signals." She said. "Mixed signals?" Penguinmon asked, rubbing his sore head. Once more Jun sighed. "Never mind, just don't gape at the manly anthro lion." As the dust cleared, Leomon and Ogremon expected their opponents to be weakened, or at least provoked to attack. Yet there they were. Phelesmon and Grendmon were just as they had been, not a scrape at all. Their usual tactic foiled, they went for the direct approach, with their weapons. Leomon brandished his sword upon Phelesmon, but his blade clanged against the point of the pitchfork. Each strike, Phelesmon met without as much a scratch. Ogremon went for Grendmon. He swung his club, but the blunt object immediately splintered upon contact of the head.

Kazuya and Jun couldn't see from where they were standing. All they could see was Leomon and Ogremon suddenly flying. "Look out!" Gazimon cried, as the gates fell down with a crash. The two champions were sprawled out on the floor, their eyes completely dead and their bodies numb. A few groans escaped the bodies, but barely.

"Dang." Was all Jun said. Kazuya felt too stunned to say anything. Their bodies rippled with deletion. This couldn't have been legal he thought, but different world, different rules. Picking up his digimon analyzer, he overlooked the stats of his two opponents

Phelesmon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Fallen Angel

Attacks: Demon Shout, Black Statue

Grendmon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Demon Man

Attacks: Warrior Breaker, Cain's Rage

It was official, they were Ultimate Level. Grabbing hold of his digivice Kazuya looked ahead at the waiting pair. "I don't think Champions will cut it." Noted Kazuya. Jun shared his thoughts exactly, holding up her digivice. Gazimon beamed as he knew he would be able to flaunt his skills. Penguinmon sulked, but he knew he wouldn't be able to escape, not with Jun around. Guess there was no way around it. It was time to fight.

---

The female dropped her cigarillo. Those were no Champions, she could plainly see that. "Ultimates?" She said in disbelief. "What about Ultimates?" Terriermon asked. Lopmon's expression held the same question. The female didn't answer, but bolted instead. Terriermon was quick to follow. "Wait, my sweet!" He called.

Lopmon hesitated for a second before he followed as well. The Gazimon dashed down the hallways towards her destination. "So, what's going on?" She heard Terriermon call behind her. Surprised that her servants were following her, she skidded, which in turn, caused the bunny brothers to crash on top of her.

"Get off!" Immediately she pushed them away. Rising to her feet, she brushed her fur. "What are you two doing here, anyway?" She asked. "Well, actually..." Lopmon began. However, Terriermon swiftly cut him off, giving an over-dramatized salute. "I am your devoted servant, my lady." He bowed in an equal fashion. Seeing the point and that this nimrod (as she put it) would stick to her like glue, she replied. "Minotarumon put a ban on Ultimates fighting this season."

Both brothers' eyes grew wide. "But why are Ultimates fighting?" Lopmon asked. The female Gazimon rolled her eyes. "Do I even need to say anything?" Then she was off. Terriermon made a clicking sound with his mouth. "I like the sassy ones." He commented, before he followed. Per reluctance, Lopmon followed as well.

---

Sho felt very uncomfortable. That was the norm for him, even before this adventure. In his private moments he desired girls to fight over him…but, not like this. Why, oh why, was the universe unfair? He asked himself. Romance wasn't his priority, but apparently not having a girl meant he himself was one…that, or just unmanly. Now, he had two girls on him, but they were not human. This was a complaint he held far in the past, but he felt a right to complain.

"No, I am!" Labramon growled. Goma-chan scoffed. "You? Don't make me laugh." She let out a giddy, haughty chortle. "Too late." Labramon gritted her teeth. If this were an American cartoon, they would have shattered instantly. "You practically eat everything that you have come into contact with." Goma-chan scolded. "Sho-sama here is working himself to death."

Actually, Sho had not done much, for some reason. Labramon and Goma-chan had been doing most of the work. Not that he was lazy, it's just that mainly he kept an eye out on the two girls. Who else would if he didn't?

"Hey, no dallying!" Burgermon called to him. Sho snapped to attention. It was best to keep the boss happy. Ahead, he heard someone call out for food. Right before he could go however, the tanish gold blur of Labramon sped past, followed by Goma-chan.

The pair ran up to the customer and then a loud crash followed. All the tray contents were now spilled on an irate Gabumon. "See Sho-chan, I got here first!" Labramon proclaimed. "No, it was I, my love!" Goma-chan proclaimed with a red face. The same redness was plastered on the Gabumon. "Clumsy idiots! Why don't you watch where you are going!" The Gabumon then shrank in fear, as the girls glared at him. "Stay out of this!" They darkly stated. Nodding compliantly, the Gabumon said not another word.

Before Sho could react, the digital girls sprang up to him. Labramon's tail was wagging furiously and Goma-chan was slapping her flippers. "Was I good, Sho-chan?" Labramon asked. "What about me, Sho-sama?" Sho didn't know what to say. Both were awaiting an answer. "Uh...yeah…heh." His face felt hot. Why was it doing that? He thought. His own thoughts couldn't delay the situation. The girls looked on at him impatiently. "Both of you did great!" He blurted. An equal congratulations, at least he had hoped

"What kind of answer is that!?" Both girls asked. Labramon brushed herself against her partner's leg. "Didn't I do a good job, Sho-chan?" She purred if possible for a canine. Sho's face burned as his partner gazed up at him with those puppy dog eyes. "Much better than that stupid seal, hmm?"

Another rub was at his leg, sultrier than Labramon's touch. "But I'm far more delicate, no?" Was there a limit to how hot one's face could get? Sho was curious as the place that denoted hotness. Why was this happening to him? He had asked that before but he wasn't the only person Goma-chan had interacted with, the others did too, back at her village.

Then again, he talked with her the most. He would have asked the same question with Labramon, but she was his digimon. Then, out in the crowd he saw hope. "Hey girls look, a customer wants something!" Sho called, pointing above.

"Where!?" Both girls asked. They both bounded up the stairs to the very top of the stands. All along the way snippets of arguments were caught. Sho casually walked away, hoping to get some alone time. Or at least, work without admirers.

Far away, Tokomon sat upon his partner's shoulder. "Heh, I may hate this dress, but I do like the entertainment." The little digimon meant the situation with Sho, not the fight in the arena. Chiisi sighed as he did his duties. "I kind of feel sorry for him." Said Chiisi. Tokomon nearly fell off in surprise. Chiisi had spoken. Ever since last night and the morning, Chiisi had remained silent, no doubt still depressed over his bloodline turmoil.

"You sound better." Tokomon noted. Chiisi smiled, knowing he hadn't really given a lot of emotion to his words. "Don't put much thought into it." He said. His tray had gone fast, time for a refill. Burgermon had told him to come to him if they ever ran out. Yet before he did, he took a little detour. Sakura was at the arenas edge. Chiisi walked over to her.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. Sakura turned, surprised at her cousin's voice. "Oh, nothing. Just watching." She answered. Chiisi's and Tokomon could see the combatants entering below. Kazuya, Jun and their digimon stood ready. The boy noticed there was a glance of nervousness upon Sakura's face, particularly when she looked at Kazuya.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Kazuya will win." Chiisi reassured. He didn't look at her smile, for he could already tell she was. There was a loud crash behind them, followed by the sound of more arguing. It was the voices of Labramon and Goma-chan. Sho's voice could be heard mixed somewhere within.

"Act two!" Tokomon snickered. Perhaps it was time to offer some aid to his friend. Chiisi thought." Just as he turned to leave, his eyes fell over the two other digimon in the arena. The moment his eyes did fall upon them, an ill feeling came over him. Chiisi couldn't look away from the pair. A visible aura showed itself only to his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, noticing the distress upon her cousin's face. "Those two." He pointed to the digimon. Sakura followed and the more she stared at the two opposing digimon, the more grim her face grew. Something about them was unsettling her.

"Darkness." Chiisi stated. The same ill feeling that spread to Chiisi infected her. She looked closer, however, Chiisi no longer looked unsettled. In fact, he looked nourished. "There's no denying the scent. I can smell the darkness all the way from here." Chiisi stated grimly.

Worry filled Sakura. Chiisi was half in darkness so it made sense for him to almost look pleased by the scent. Sakura understood why she herself wasn't. She was light where her cousin was darkness. "Kazuya!" She exclaimed, now worried for her best friend.

---

The doors flew open, slamming into the walls. Yet even with the impact, Minotarumon didn't even flinch from the noise. Standing in the entryway, the female Gazimon stood. She breathed heavily after all that running. Lopmon and Terriermon were at her side in a similar condition.

Speaking of the latter, a red mark was imprinted upon Terriermon's cheek. The reaction was what the Gazimon of Kazuya would easily identify with. Not that Terriermon cared; he found nothing wrong with "complementing" a lady.

"Boss!" The female called. Minotarumon turned around. "What are you doing here?" He asked. The Gazimon noticed instantly that something was wrong with the pitch and tone of his voice. Minotarumon held a certain giddy greed to his, but that didn't stop her from showing respect.

"S-sir." She slightly stammered, sensing something amiss. "The new opponents…they're Ultimates!" Minotarumon blankly stared back. "What is wrong with Ultimates?" He asked. "Are the fights not exciting?"

The female stammered again at first, then composed herself "Actually, I didn't get a chance to see the fight. I left before it started." She admitted. "Then I see no problem." Minotarumon finished. "Return to your duties at once."

Nearly complying, she turned to leave, but noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Upon his desk sat a breakfast meal, sausage sandwich with a large pile of hash browns. Grease soaked through, shining like a beacon. "I'm sorry, sir. The cook didn't remember your diet." The female said, apologetically.

Minotarumon turned to her." Diet?" He said in a confused tone. "Yes. You mentioned to me you were going on a diet, remember? I guess I forgot to tell the cook. I'll get right on it." She bowed her head. Minotarumon turned back to the window. "See that you do." The bunny brothers leaned in close to keep their conversation private. "Was there a point to this?" Terriermon asked. Lopmon shrugged. "Beats me."

"Electric Stun Blast!" Both brothers jumped into each other at the shock of the voice. Minotarumon barely reacted as the attack felt like a fleabite to him. The female Gazimon bared her teeth, ready to unleash another attack. "You're not my boss!" She screamed. "My boss would never go on a diet, nor did he discuss it with me today!" An accusing finger shot to the bull.

Minotarumon didn't react a third time. Staring at the lagomorph trio, he outstretched his solid arm. "The memories of this one I absorbed have yet to surface." Bursting from the skin like bubble wrap, several vine like cables came forth. "What a pity. I wanted to wait."

The vines extended, slamming in to the ground. Their intended targets were the rabbits, but they luckily managed to dodge. "Why do they always dodge?" The faux Minotarumon said, recalling his cables. The female Gazimon didn't know what to do. Never had she encountered this situation before. Her hand reached for her knife, not that it would do her any good. A shadow fell over her. "What?" She said.

Terriermon put his hands protectively over her. "Brother, go back and warn the kids." He ordered to his twin. Lopmon himself felt uncertainty. "What are you waiting for? Go!" Lopmon did as he was told. The whole situation was sudden and a bit rushed, but he knew something was amiss. Only an idiot would think everything was hunky-dory. He didn't stop, even as he heard the explosions behind him.

---

"**Gazimon evolve! Genkimon! Genkimon super evolve! NeoGenkimon!**"

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon! Saberdramon super evolve! Parrotmon!**"

The sound and light filled the arena. Standing in place were the two Ultimates. The crowds burst into cheers at the sight, even the announcer was speechless. NeoGenkimon took in the praise and adoration. "Yeah, keep it coming." He called.

Parrotmon waved his talon shyly. He wasn't entirely comfortable with all this exposure. "What are we, chopped liver? Whatever that is." Said Jun. She and Kazuya had not gotten any cheers. The crowds failed to see that without them, there wouldn't be any Ultimate levels around.

At the arena end, Phelesmon cocked his eye in surprise. "I suppose it is time, my brother." He said to Grendmon. A low grunt came at his side. Phelesmon looked over to see Grendmon's face contorting. "Hurts." He said, covering his ears. "It hurts." His voice was deep, complementing his large frame. Phelesmon looked over to the crowds. Their cheers were loud and the more they were, the more Grendmon pained.

"Easier for us than brother." Said Phelesmon. "Hey, are you guys going to fight or what?" NeoGenkimon called out, boastfully. Phelesmon drew his pitchfork, figuring it would be best to start. Those were the orders and the cheering would only provide more rage for his brother. "Just a little longer Grendmon." He said, before dashing towards NeoGenkimon.

NeoGenkimon flashed his best condescending smile. "This tactic again?" His head swelling he decided to let his opponent get the first swing. "What are you doing!?" Kazuya demanded to know. Waving his partner away, NeoGenkimon stuck out his chin. "This guy will be a cakewalk." He replied.

NeoGenkimon was so certain of himself that he didn't expect the hit. Phelesmon's leathered fist connected with NeoGenkimon's jaw. Now maybe he expected himself to be pushed back somewhat, but not into the wall. That's where NeoGenkimon flew, complete with imprint. At slow motion, it looked like his eyes bugged out.

"Demon Shout!" Phelesmon opened his mouth and a sound wave blasted forth. NeoGenkimon's eyes bugged out once more, as the impact drove him further into the wall. "Aura Laser!" NeoGenkimon retaliated with his own projectile. Phelesmon foresaw that as he dodged. "Come at me more!" Phelesmon dared with a smirk.

NeoGenkimon flew out of the wall, doing just as Phelesmon offered. Kazuya could easily see what was going on. "You idiot, he's just trying to get you angry!" Kazuya warned. NeoGenkimon wasn't listening. The proud Ultimate clashed with Phelesmon. Their arms matched as well as their blows. Between the two, Phelesmon had the greater speed. That, or NeoGenkimon was letting his anger cloud his mind.

"Can't you hold still!?" NeoGenkimon obviously asked a stupid question. Phelesmon answered with a usual smirk. That smirk drifted up to the crowd. Growing more wicked, his smirk opened. "Demon Shout!" NeoGenkimon braced himself for another attack, but found nothing. A loud crash came from above. He wasn't the target…the crowd was.

Per expected reaction, they screamed in a confused panic. Phelesmon continued several more times, clearly deleting a few. "What's he doing!? Kazuya shouted. Jun didn't roll her eyes in her usual fashion. "I'm stating the obvious, but he doesn't seem like he's interested in fighting."

An evil cackle broke free from Phelesmon. "Grendmon, do you hear their anguish?" Grendmon didn't respond. The noises from the crowd beat against his eardrums. Each sound made him whimper…each beat filled him with rage. The pain came continuously. "Stop!" He screamed, teeth grinding. The noise didn't stop. Everything slowed, the screams laughing at his pain. Blood filled his eyes and his muscles tensed. "SHUT UP! STOP THE NOISE!" Grendmon let out a primal yell.

The entirety of the arena shook. A dark aura surrounded Grendmon. Kneeling up, he looked as if he had doubled in height. Scanning over everything, he heeded his brother's words. The aura intensified, representing all the emotions he felt.

"GRAAAGGHGH!" The yell shook everything. Walls cracked and crumbled. Parrotmon covered Kazuya and Jun from the rubble that fell, whilst NeoGenkimon moved out of the way. This wasn't a fight, it was chaos. The more the crowds screamed, the more Grendmon did and amidst it all was Phelesmon's cackle. The same dark aura that surrounded Grendmon now surrounded Phelesmon as well. Job well done, if Phelesmon did say so himself…and it was only starting.

---

Sakura and Chiisi watched the panic that was before them. Luck always was on their side, for they had managed to get away without a scrape. Their digimon did their best to protect them, not that their current forms could do much good. "Sakura! Chiisi!" Came Sho's voice.

Their fellow human was running up to them. Labramon was running close to him, both out of concern and the fact that Goma-chan was clinging to Sho's leg. "Sho-Sama, I'm so scared!" She whined. Labramon let out a growl. "Shut up."

"Not now, you two!" Sho scolded. It wasn't the time to squabble. Both girls knew that so they obeyed with dreamy sighs. "What's going on?" Sho asked. "Those two digimon." Chiisi answered. "They're not normal! There's an overwhelming presence of darkness within them." Chiisi said a mouthful.

Sho looked down at the battlefield. On one side stood their friends, so they pbviously weren't the ones Chiisi was talking about. The ones at the other end were the culprits by process of elimination. He didn't have a sixth sense for this sort of thing, but Sho could sense something was amiss about them.

"Hey, you guys!" Another voice called out. It was Lopmon. The brown rabbit looked completely out of breath. "Lopmon, are you okay?" Sakura asked, concerned. Lopmon put a hand up to show he needed a moment. "No…Minotarumon…" He breathed. "He's a fake."

"A fake?" Kawaiimon asked. "Yeah, my brother and the Gazimon girl are in trouble." Lopmon answered. Another explosion rocked. The Rookie fell to the ground, but was scooped up by Sakura. Lopmon nodded his thanks, a much-needed rest. "Please, help my brother." He pleaded. Sakura stared down into his big, black eyes. "We have to go." She immediately said.

Tokomon hopped down from Chiisi's shoulder. "I'm in! I'll do anything for a fight!" He exclaimed. Sho looked uncertain, but he quickly made his decision. "I'm staying here." He declared. This exclamation brought on looks from the group. "Don't get me wrong. I just think Kazuya and Jun need the extra help." He held up his digivice. "Don't worry, I can handle myself."

The boy was serious. Sakura had to accept that. Then she remembered Kazuya. "Kazuya!" She shouted, making her way to the railing. Below, the goggle-headed boy heard her voice. "Sakura?"

"Kazuya, those aren't normal digimon! Get out of there!" Warned Sakura. That bit of news was rather fast for the boy. "No!" He replied. "Get yourself out of there! Jun and I will take care of things." Why were the boys so stubborn? She asked herself. Thankfully, Chiisi wasn't like that. There was no time to argue. Putting down all her reservation, she offered her support. "Please, stay alive you two!" Kazuya shot her a thumbs up. Back in the human world he had done that often enough. Whenever he did, she always knew things were going to be okay.

---

Not having a name suited the female. Digimon never really bothered naming oneself, they just went by their type name. The cables from the faux Minotarumon tightened themselves around her neck. Her data felt like it was being ripped apart.

"Bunny Blast!" She felt herself thrown against something hard. It was Terriermon. They had run a considerable distance from the office. The fake had followed them. At that point they had given up running, for wherever they went, he followed. The cables retracted, but that only meant it was preparing for another attack.

"Run, save yourself." Terriermon croaked. "Why are you still here!?" The female responded, more annoyed than concerned. Terriermon flashed a grin. "As If I'm going to let anything happen to a lady I like." The female didn't know what to say. Nobody had ever shown this much concern for her. She didn't wrap her mind around things despite admitting there was a heroic quality she found impressive. Mentally she slapped herself for that. The cables made their retracting sound.

Just then, a flame followed by a dart, flew past. The flames burned against the fauxmon and the glass dart shattered into a dark liquid. "Brother!" The familiar voice called out. Terriermon flashed another grin. "Brother, you actually came through."

Lopmon matched his brother's smile from Sakura's arm. She and Chiisi held their digivices tightly. At their feet stood Fairydramon and DemiDevimon. The duo had evolved along the way. Free of his adorable form, DemiDevimon had done a victory dance to celebrate. Then, he made the others swear that moment to secrecy.

"My, the digidestined came right on time." The fauxmon droned. Chiisi wrinkled his nose. "That digimon smells the same as those two Ultimates. "Yes, they are my brothers." The fauxmon nodded. He looked over the form with clear disgust. "I believe it is time to shed this pudgy exterior."

The skin started to peel or rather rip away. The cables did that, bursting forth from the skin. Minotarumon's bulging belly slimmed along with his arms and legs. The cables rescinded back into the new body. A scent of overwhelming darkness wafted from the new creature. Even the she Gazimon and Terriermon could smell it. Both backed away towards the humans. The female dropped her tough exterior.

The new digimon, or its true form, was humanoid in appearance. Its arms and legs and other parts where there would be exposed skin were nothing but a series of intertwined cables. The rest was a black torso plate. The same applied to the point shoulder guards and knee and elbow caps. The digimon had no face, only a mask with a single clear glass eye. Two horns poked upwards like a devil. Its needle-like metallic fingers twitched and clinked.

"GREETINGS, I AM NANOMAMON. I SHALL BE YOUR EXECUTIONER." It was a proper greeting for a villain. Sakura and Chiisi held up their digivices, ready to evolve their digimon. The dark scent wafted more intensely, but that didn't stop them.

To be continued…

A/N: Another chapter done and fighting in the next to come. Okay just to let you know Grendmon is short for Grendel the monster from the epic poem Beowulf, although I took some inspiration from the 2007 film version (which I love) and incorporated it into Grendmon. Mainly I took the hearing problem and some of the golden colorization. As for NanoMamon his names means Nanomechanical and Ma means demon. Sorry just felt like explaining things. Well anyway hope this chapter was enjoyable. BTW Grendmon's scream/aura attack was Cain's Rage. I just didn't think I needed to name it. It seems that the dub has them constantly shout their attacks leading to some mistakes.

BTW If anybody is interested in ghostwriting a story Ace6151 is looking for one for an awesome sounding digimon story. Once more enjoy and feel free to leave your thoughts.


	41. Chapter 41

NanoMamon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Cyborg

Attacks: Soul Assimilation, Cable Destructor, Debug Beams

That was what the digimon analyzers said. The two didn't have time to look over the stats. DemiDevimon was one who couldn't wait. "**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**" As soon as the evolution cry finished, the Champion lunged at his opponent. NanoMamon was caught by surprise as he guarded against the claws. Devimon did a variation of his attacks.

"Touch of Evil! Razor Wing!" The cries each mixed, slurring together in a frenzied pace. Explosions lit against the hall. NanoMamon walked backwards, retreating into the office. Devimon smirked at this, as he considered it a display of cowardice. Brandishing his claws, he followed after.

Grabbing hold of his digivice, Chiisi followed too. The boy didn't say anything. From his expression, Sakura could tell he was concerned for his digimon, particularly if he was fighting against an Ultimate. Glancing at her own digivice, she gripped the white machine.

"Fairydramon, are you ready?" She asked her digimon. Flapping her wings, Fairydramon shared her partner's sentiments. Long had she waited to experience the taste of power that came with her new evolution. However, she would take extra care not to drunken herself on it. Admittedly, the intoxication of a perfect Ultimate would not be so uncommon, even in her case. Fairydramon wasn't Gazimon, so she thought nothing of it further.

"You three should find someplace safe." Fairydramon cautioned the rabbits. The trio didn't respond before they took off, only giving affirmative nods.

---

The side of the arena office exploded. Rubble fell to the ground and the screams of pedestrians filled the air, as two flashes of black flew out. One solid, the other metallic. Devimon and NanoMamon continued their fight. Even without wings, the cyborg was able to fight in midair. The "Touch of Evil" left red streaks in the air. Cables exploded from his arms, forming retaliation against the limbs. "IT IS USELESS. YOUR STRENGTH MAY BE FORMIDABLE FOR A CHAMPION BUT-"

"Aw put a sock in it!" Devimon retorted. "Razor Wing!" The cables swished against the energy beams. Suddenly, they extended, striking into Devimon's skin. The devil let out a pained grunt as the vines left. "Okay, I'll admit you got a point." Chiisi was behind him, he could sense it. Indeed, the boy was, and he could see his partner needed an extra boost. Raising his black digivice, the symbol of Knowledge shone. Devimon grinned as the purple light enveloped him.

"**Devimon super evolve! Myotismon!**" The light dimmed as Myotismon unflapped his cape. It may have been dramatic, but it was also an impressive display. Chiisi's smile matched his digimons. "Go get him, partner!" The boy exclaimed. That too was dramatic, but Chiisi felt it was appropriate to say, even in an inappropriate situation.

Unflicking his wrist, a beam of red energy appeared. Myotismon didn't bother crying out his attack. The bloody whip clashed against the wires. Sparks flew as the circuitry was penetrated. This continued whilst in the air. The two never relented with each other. Neither flesh nor machinery would give.

"Enough of this! Grisly Wing!" Myotismon grew tired of the continuous display. The bats swarmed over the cyborg. For a moment, NanoMamon appeared surprised at the suddenness. The bats pecked, but found it hard to bite through the metal skin. Myotismon slapped his face as he noticed a few whimper from their now broken teeth. "Wimps." He waved his hand, dismissing them off into the data they spawned from.

"Tiamat Fire!" Myotismon nearly was burnt as Tiamon suddenly appeared, flying out of the hole in mid-evolution. Sakura stood next to Chiisi, holding her digivice tightly. The fire engulfed NanoMamon, although it made no cry of pain.

The dragoness flapped to her companion's side. "You alright?" She asked. "Yeah, except for you nearly barbequing me!" Myotismon spat. Tiamon's green face turned a twinge of red. "Sorry. I just saw you and I rushed in, I'm afraid." It was a little careless mistake on her part. "How embarrassing." Tiamon said, putting her claw to her lips.

"There's no time to be embarrassed." Myotismon said, as he gestured to the still burning flames. The fires had died down into a single humanoid shape. The shape outstretched its body, sending the flames away. Both digimon shielded themselves with their wings and cape respectively. Mostly, they did it to protect their partners from the flames. An unsurprising display awaited them as they unfolded.

"IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY!" NanoMamon commented. The Ultimate's skin had turned a shade of red from the fire. However, there was not a single burn or melted part anywhere. "YET YOU ARE ONLY DELAYING." The single eye flashed red briefly. Tiamon knew at her current level she wouldn't be able to match this digimon. "Sakura!" She called.

Sakura could sense it as well, the symbol of Kindness shown on her digivice's screen. "Good luck!" She called as the evolution overtook her digimon. "**Tiamon super evolve! RegalTiamon!**" Tiamon basked back in her Ultimate form. Now the power was even greater and the dragon rather liked it.

"I know! It's great the first couple of times." Commented Myotismon. It was true RegalTiamon felt powerful in this form. Gazing at the tiny creature that was NanoMamon (compared to her size) she snorted a plume of self confident smoke.

With the shared emotions that came with the evolution to Ultimate, Sakura could sense her partner's. "Geez RegalTiamon, I thought you were the most level-headed." Sakura sweat dropped. Chiisi understood what it was like to have a digimon drunk on power. "Don't worry, she'll get over it." He reassured. It was a slow comfort at best. Nonetheless, Sakura accepted it as the fight recommenced.

---

"Right this way." Terriermon soothed to the female. Since they had left the fight, Terriermon had offered his aid to the Gazimon female, more specifically, letting her rest on his shoulder.

"I said I'm fine!" The female spat, pushing him away. Terriermon offered his shoulder again, but she relented. Ahead, Lopmon sighed. "Brother, she doesn't want you to help her."

That didn't stop Terriermon. He grabbed the female just as she nearly collapsed from her wounds. "What? She's weakened!" Terriermon retorted. "And don't try to deny it." He said to the female. She couldn't deny it, she had been hurt. "Fine." She relented. "Damn, I need a smoke." She rasped. Her cigarillos had been dropped during the earlier fight. "Well, my career has hit a snag." The female continued.

Terriermon smirked at her words. "Maybe it's time for a career change?" He suggested. The female looked at him oddly. "Poaching and serving lardos might have its perks in money, but it's a dirty business, wouldn't you say?"

"Yep." The female didn't think that long about it. "Hey, this is Directory, dirty business is all there is."

"Not necessarily." Terriermon wagged his finger. "Believe it or not, I had a very profitable business in rafting. I managed to make a good living." Lopmon huffed. "My meat growing kept us fed."

"Okay fine! Yeah, but we made money. What I am saying is, there is always an alternative." The female Gazimon thought for a moment. Something in his words made some sense, but she turned away before she could think much of it. "If you two don't mind, we really should get going." Lopmon interrupted. "There might be some digimon still around that need help."

Terriermon sighed. His brother was always the charity case. "Fine, let's go." He said. Both rabbit brothers looked to the Gazimoness. Her eyes looked back, sensing they wanted an answer. "I'm only going with because I owe you. Let's leave it at that." Said the female. That was fine with Terriermon. In fact, it was perfect.

---

Grendmon let out a roar as he smashed whatever he could get his hands around. Mostly the floor bore his wrath, but occasionally it was also the digimon who crossed him. NeoGenkimon and Parrotmon did the best they could despite the circumstances.

"Mach Rush!" NeoGenkimon did his favored move, smashing at Grendmon with each blow. The behemoth seemed to take it without problem, as his hard skin absorbed the force and transformed it into rage. That was what it seemed to the humans.

"Hero Smasher!" Grendmon's fist set ablaze with the red aura. NeoGenkimon skid back thanking his own armor which shielded him. Jun and Kazuya sat on the sidelines watching this. They were the only audience left. The other digimon who hadn't fled were deleted. "This is going nowhere." Said Kazuya. "Yeah, all because this lump isn't doing anything!" Jun said, harshly.

She of course was referring to her own digimon. Parrotmon shook in his feathers. Since the fight had intensified, Parrotmon had stepped out. "B-b-but Jun, he's s-s-scary!" Parrotmon stuttered. Parrotmon's fear was well rationalized. The monster seemed to be growing in his aura-filled rage. Doubled in size, one could say.

"I don't care! Get your ass moving and do something!" Jun demanded. Parrotmon gulped. He knew his partner was right, but honestly he felt like it wouldn't make a difference. Grendmon seemed impervious to whatever was thrown at him. However, that didn't stop him for moving his talon a step forward.

"Mad Dog Fire!" An emerald blaze washed over the arena, and Grendmon was engulfed by it. NeoGenkimon side stepped out of the way of the sudden attack. It could only belong to one digimon. Cerberumon leapt onto the destroyed arena ground, Sho and Goma-chan upon her back. "Leave my friends alone you big meanie poopy-head!" Ceberumon may have looked and sounded more mature, but that didn't change her list of insults.

Upon his digimon's back, Sho waved to his friends. "Hey guys, need a hand?"

"Well, duh." Jun said, in her usual sort of tone. Cerberumon, being a canine, was able to pick that up thanks to her excellent senses. "It wasn't a question to be answered." She called. In other words, it was rhetorical.

The flames dissipated as Grendmon roared. Cerberumon prepared to attack once again, when a diminutive figure called out. "Marching Fishes!" Suddenly out of nowhere, wormholes opened and a school of many colored fish appeared. They slapped upon Grendmon. The behemoth didn't look angry. Instead, he appeared confused. Everybody was.

From atop Cerberumon's back, Goma-chan directed the fish. "This way! Oh and some of that!" She called triumphantly. "How do you like that, Sho-sama?" The seal asked, fluttering her eyes at the human boy. Cerberumon growled in full provocation. "What, may I ask, are you doing?" The canine asked, in a tone of maturity.

Goma-chan put her flippers to her side acting as hips. "I am helping Sho-sama. Got a problem with that?" Cerberumon snorted. "Well, it's not needed; Sho-chan only needs me. Besides, your weak little fish won't do a thing." She retorted snottily

Sho let out a sigh. "Please don't start." He begged. His pleas went unanswered as Goma-chan puffed out her cheeks. "As if your fire did anything. Look, he's still standing." Goma-chan pointed to Grendmon who still was trying to comprehend the fish. More so, the two girls who had started to quarrel.

"Well, my fish are more impressive than your flames. I mean, what kind of color is green?" Cerberumon looked positively offended. "First off, they're emerald, not green! There's a huge difference!"

Goma-chan waved her flipper, dismissively. "I don't see it. Besides, I think Sho-sama would much rather have a cute digimon to protect him, like me!" Goma-chan flashed her white sheen off. "Don't you think I look cute, Sho-chan? Much better than a gruesome-looking hound." Goma-chan said snottily.

"Gruesome!" Cerberumon exclaimed, breathing little wisps of emerald flames. "I look very cool! You see these claws?" Ceberumon brandished her silver claws, clearly trying to intimidate the Rookie. Goma-chan held her nose up "Not going to work, freaky demon-dog."

The flames exploded out of Ceberumon. "DEMON HOUND!" She roared. Grendmon's confusion vanished upon the exclamation of Ceberumon's voice. Linking in with that was the additional whine of Goma-chan. The two girls had broken into a string of arguments and insults. The usual series that Sho was used to. Even in the short amount of time that he had known Goma-chan compared to how long he had known Labramon, that was a lot. Momentarily, Kazuya and Jun found themselves distracted by the fight. This little sideshow had taken their full attention.

"The noise." Grendmon whimpered. His voice now attracted everybody, save for the arguing ones. Grendmon concentrated on that noise. Not as if he could turn away from it. It was there and he didn't like it. The massive digimon growled and groaned. The red aura surrounded him. Intensifying, it glowed angrier, attuned with the emotions of its source.

"STOP THE NOISE!" A slam of his massive fists was enough to make Ceberumon and Goma-chan hush up. Grendmon slammed his fists repeatedly, causing tremors to shake the room. The digimon stood ready to defend their partners, as the beast's rage was roused. Suddenly, among the roars of Grendmon, laughter rang out.

"That's good, my brother!" Phelesmon shouted. "Your anger is growing! Allow me to help things along!" Opening his mouth wide, the devil screamed a shockwave. The "Demon Shout." Spread throughout the already damaged arena. Each time Grendmon let out a roar of pain, Phelesmon would stop to cackle. The aura of rage grew larger, continually never-ending.

Kazuya clenched his fists. "As long as that guy is around, the big one will only get angrier." He didn't shout for fear of enraging Grendmon further. NeoGenkimon had recovered from his little spat with the two opposing digimon. Seeing Phelesmon made his blood boil. He hadn't forgotten his crash into the wall, courtesy of the flying devil. Now an idea popped in his head. "Kazuya, hop on!" He said, offering his back to the boy.

"Huh?" Kazuya questioned. Seeing his digimon nudge and gesture to Phelesmon, Kazuya got the idea. Climbing aboard his digimon, he turned to Jun. "You and Sho handle Grendmon. NeoGenkimon and I will deal with this creep."

Jun blinked in surprise at the statement. She didn't like it. "Hold on, wait a minute!" She protested, but it was too late. "Dammit, Goggle-Boy!" She exclaimed, watching the pair ascend into the air. Grendmon's roar jolted her out of her reservations. Whether they liked it or not, she and Sho had to fight. In his own position, Sho looked none too happy. "Why me?" He asked himself. Again, that question never received an answer.

---

RegalTiamon soared freely through the air. Her wings flapped in the breeze, her tail swished accompanying the mane that flowed freely. Looking above anyone could see she was a remarkable sight. Proudly, she felt that suitable. Never before had she seen a dragon digimon such as herself. Any others would be mere pretenders.

"I can't believe she is actually thinking that." Sakura voiced in disbelief. It was a hard notion to believe her wise, warrior digimon held herself in such high regard. Not that keeping a good opinion of yourself was a bad thing. Pride was a vice, a sin that was now added to her digimon.

"Don't worry. I think it's natural for all digimon at this stage." Said Chiisi. "You should have seen Myotismon when he first appeared." Chiisi thought back to the time his partner first became an Ultimate. "Now that I think back on it, I believe on his case it was more sadism than pride."

Sakura merely nodded, knowing not else what to do. Back on the battlefield, RegalTiamon found herself enticed by her claws. How dainty and well groomed they looked. "My, how pretty." She remarked. Suddenly, a loud crash distracted her.

"Hey scales, I could really use a hand around here!" Myotismon exclaimed, whilst dodging NanoMamon's cable whips. Both were flying through the air, debris of buildings falling with their attacks. Myotismon retaliated against the machine digimon. Sparks of varying color lit the sky. Wrapping, the two struggled to overcome one another. Evenly matched at first glance, NanoMamon ended it with a pull and a thrust. Myotismon almost fell forward but pulled back in the last minute.

"Don't just float there, help him!" Sakura called, noticing her partner's idleness. RegalTiamon snorted another pink puff of smoke, seemingly defiant in its appearance. "Fine, he is my ally." The dragon then flew off towards the fight.

"That was a little too majestic sounding, don't you think?" Chiisi asked his cousin. Sakura didn't know what to answer. Her attention focused on her digimon.

RegalTiamon flew in with a roar. Of course, that gave her position away to the metal demon. NanoMamon barely gave a glance as he flew right up to RegalTiamon's face. "Heh heh! Small, aren't you?" RegalTiamon chuckled.

Breathing a stream of fire would have been the wisest choice. Myotismon expected it, too. RegalTiamon had other ideas, apparently. Raising her claw up, they burst into flames. "Dazzle Claw!" She swung, batting against NanoMamon. The smaller opponent flew with ease, slamming into the wall.

RegalTiamon raised her head up in pride. "There! Not so hard, was he?" She asked, haughtily. Everybody blinked, it had been so sudden that it seemed rushed in delivery. "Is it over?" Asked Sakura. This time Chiisi didn't have a thing to say.

"That was it? Seriously?" Myotismon said, disappointed. RegalTiamon blew several smoke rings in accomplishment. "Yeah, so?" She said, inspecting her claws. Rubbing the back of his head, Myotismon glanced over the hole that NanoMamon made. "So? I wanted a big fight." He admitted. "And when did you get so big headed? Guess you and the rabbit _are_ a match."

ReglaTiamon blushed furiously. "There's no way in heaven that pervert and I are a match! Is it a crime to enjoy one's new status!?"

"Keep talking like that. The red rouge looks real good on ya." The more she had talked the more red the dragon's face had become. Finally, she noticed it trying to wipe it away before realizing it was her face, not makeup. "You're hilarious." RegalTiamon dryly remarked.

Myotismon laughed at his own joke. "Anyway, I guess we could-" He was cut off as twin cables sprang out of the hole, wrapping themselves around the vampire's neck. Dragging in a pull, NanoMamon appeared next to Myotismon.

"Myotismon!" Chiisi cried out, feeling his partner's pain. His throat felt a little tight but not enough to cut off his circulation. Myotismon didn't want his partner to feel anything, hence he cut off the sync.

"DO STRUGGLE, IT MAKES IT MORE AMUSING." NanoMamon droned, squeezing harder upon his victim's neck. Myotismon gasped for air. NanoMamon did so several times, only relenting when more cables popped out of his arm. "YOUR POWER SHOULD BE AN INTERESTING ADDITION." He droned again before the cables imbedded themselves into Myotismon.

The undead mon let out a scream as he felt his data being ripped apart. Gritting his teeth he fought back not wanting to let himself be absorbed. RegalTiamon flapped stunned at what had just happened. Simply put she screwed up. Her vanity with this new form was costing her an ally.

---

"Sonic Destroyer!" Parrotmon had no choice but the direct approach. That was what Jun ordered and he obeyed without question. Actually, he questioned at first, but stopped talking when another famous glare shot his way. Why was it that a simple look from her could intimidate him? Perhaps it was because she herself was an intimidating person. Whatever, Parrotmon did what he was told. Ultimately, he was obedient to his partner.

The attack sped him up, turning his body into an unstoppable force. He crashed into Grendmon's body with enough force to knock down a truck. Grendmon however simply grabbed hold, pushing against the avian digimon.

"Um Jun? He's not going down!" Parrotmon whined. Slowly, Grendmon managed to skid his opponent. The parrot felt his talons scraping against the dirt floor. Jun grabbed hold of her beret, twisting it in frustration. It was as if she had lost a bet and was now feeling loser's remorse. All her strength had been going into synchronizing with Parrotmon. Yet the behemoth was putting up a good retaliation front.

"Geez, this guy is heavy!" Jun grunted with strained teeth. Each little push against her digimon she felt. "Hey Sanbara, I could really use a hand!" Jun called over to Sho. Since Kazuya and NeoGenkimon had left the fight, Sho hadn't assisted at all. However, it was more accurate to say that his digimon was not helping. Sho had since left his digimon's saddle, so to speak. Looking over to Jun, a somewhat defeated look was evident on his face.

"I'm having my own issues here." He called back to Jun. What he was referring to was none other than Cerberumon and Goma-chan, who had not yet given up fighting. "I'm just saying you look gross!" Goma-chan pointed out. "I mean three heads? How can that be considered cute?"

"Least I'm not a shrimp!" Cerberumon barked back. "That and the Mohawk makes you look like a punk." Their faces burned upon each other's insults. It seemed by now that their arguments had strayed away from the subject of Sho. Now they just reached into a never-ending bag of insult and emptied the contents. There was no mud wrestling, thankfully. Being two different sizes, they knew physical contact would be a quick contest.

"Speaking of size, are you sure that isn't fat that makes you so big?" Goma-chan asked. "Fat!?" Cerberumon whined. Goma-chan put a flipper above her eye, acting as a telescope so to speak. "Yep, look right over there." Cerberumon followed the seal's eye trail to a small part of her underbelly. Everything looked as slim as the rest, but bending in a certain way, a little, tiny, microscopic fold, unnoticeable to the rest of the world save for Cererberumon. "I'm fat!" She screamed, tears almost flowing.

"Sho-chan!" She at last returned attention to her human. "Do I look fat to you!?" Sho felt a little reserved looking underneath his digimon, being a gentleman for the most part. Remembering that digimon were not entirely anatomically correct, he took a quick peek and found nothing. Although not sure of what was there, Sho decided to sooth her.

"Relax its fine. You could gain a million pounds and I wouldn't care." Sho said, petting her nose. The reaction worked as Cerberumon's face lit up. "Ha! See? Sho-chan doesn't care what I look like, so there!" Cerberumon spat a raspberry to the seal.

"But don't I look cute as a button, Sho-sama?" Goma-chan fluttered her eyelids. Sho rubbed his head uncertainly, but his honesty gave out. "Yeah, you're cute." That was the honest response. Unfortunately, Sho then realized he had opened a new set of insult fuel.

Both girls started to argue, once more distracting from the fight. It even started to distract Grendmon. Grendmon and Parrotmon looked like something out of a sumo match, trying to push the other out of the ring. Yet the sounds of the fight had reached Grendmon's sensitive ears. He had tried to ignore it for a time but the aura around him started to intensify. With a mighty heave, he pushed Parrotmon down. His eyes turned over to the fight, searching for who was the noisiest. The human had been absent from the fight, the dog was making noise but the loudest was coming from the Gomamon.

Growling, he raised his fists up and charged, forgoing his usual method of pounding everything in sight. The trio saw him coming but was uncertain of what to do. Running would have been the smart choice, but if a large monster was coming your way, screaming rage would anybody know what to do? Their minds froze save for Goma-chan.

"Don't worry Sho-sama. I'll protect you!" She declared, stepping in front. "Idiot, what are you doing!?" Cerberumon barked. "Goma-chan, get out of the way!" Sho cried with concern. Goma-chan smiled proudly. "Don't worry, my Sho-sama. I'll deal with this brute. Marching Fishes!" On cue, the multicolored fishes sprang up from nowhere assaulting the charging monster.

Grendmon wasn't in the mood for games such as this, so he merely swatted his fists as if the fish were flies. They fell just as the insects would, deleting into nothing. Goma-chan was at a loss for words. Grendmon was getting closer and she had no way of defending her dear, sweet Sho.

Just then, Sho leapt in front of Goma-chan. Goma-chan's heart soared, Sho was protecting her! Her heart sank as she realized Sho himself had no way of protecting himself. He knew that as well and found himself at the mercy of his enemy. Unfortunately, Grendmon had none. He closed his eyes, as did Goma-chan, awaiting the end. A part of him knew that.

A loud whined grunt opened both their eyes. A bulk of black stood in front. Cerberumon jumped in front, blocking the fist. Grendmon found it surprising that she had not gone down. The canine's armored hide had saved her. Another surprise came as Parrotmon grappled onto Grendmon's back. Mostly, that was the cause of Jun. Watching a lot of violent programming made itself useful.

The two went back into their own fight, leaving the boy and his two girls alone. "Are you okay, Cerberumon?" Sho asked, concerned. Cerberumon turned her head, managing a smile as she fell down. "No problem, Sho-chan. He didn't hurt me much."

Sho was happy. Petting her hide, he noticed for the first time that it was armored. He had felt it before, but never noticed it truly until now. The armor made him think of her claws. They indeed were sharp. "What are those made out of?" Asked Sho.

"Oh these?" Cerberumon looked down at her blade-like extensions. "Chrome digizoid. Hardest metal in the Digital World." Cerberumon said with pride. Sho widened his eyes. "How do you know that?" He asked. Cerberumon merely shrugged. "I dunno. Just do"

Sho thought for a moment on that information. Then he thought about Grendmon's name. Putting all this together, he started to think hard on what to do. At last, it hit him, a vague idea, but he decided to try it. Parrotmon wasn't faring any better.

"Sho-sama?" Goma-chan asked from below. Sho had forgotten about Goma-chan for the moment. Looking down, he saw the seal looking up at him adoringly. Yet, there was a certain lack of that feeling this time. "Th-thank you for saving me." She slightly stuttered.

"Anything for a friend." Sho replied. A friend, hearing that put her down for a moment. "Look, Goma-chan you should get out of here." Sho pointed to the fighter holding area. Reluctantly, Goma-chan nodded and hopped off swiftly. Looking back, she took a final glance at Sho, as he boarded Cerberumon. If she hadn't intervened, Grendmon would have killed both her and Sho.

"Maybe she is the better digimon." Goma-chan said as she fled. "For Sho-sama." She finished. Anything else was on his words and she listened to them well as the fighting resumed once more. Only now, there was a small glimmer of hope.

---

RegalTiamon had frozen completely, actually not entirely so, for her wings still kept her afloat. Myotismon struggled in his captor's grip. The vines dug into his skin. Each time he fought it off, however, it was not an easy task. Still, he refused Chiisi from synching, not wanting him to feel the pain. That didn't matter to the boy, who attempted to join his partner. Chiisi grunted in pain, immediately canceling it. "Don't, kid. I'm worth it, but the pain bites!" Myotismon called, sensing what his partner attempted to do.

This made RegalTiamon feel even worse. If only she hadn't been so drunk on her newfound power. Tipsy probably was a better word or even just a little high. No denying or sugarcoating it, this was her fault. "How embarrassing." She muttered.

The question now was what to do. An easy choice, for her saving Myotismon was the best course of action. RegalTiamon nearly swooped in headfirst. "I WOULDN'T TRY THAT." NanoMamon warned. The cables dug in farther, spurring another cry of pain from Myotismon.

Being smart, RegalTiamon stopped. NanoMamon lessened his cables only slightly. "TRUE, HE MAY BE FIGHTING OFF MY ABSORPTION." Myotismon's body rippled slightly in deletion. "HOWEVER, HE CANNOT LAST MUCH LONGER. WHY, IF THERE WERE ANY SUDDEN MOVEMENTS FROM YOURSELF…" NanoMamon dug in again, causing another scream from the vampire.

RegalTiamon growled as NanoMamon processed a metallic chuckle. He was toying with her. "_Don't worry._" RegalTiamon jerked her head up at the mental voice. "Sakura?" She asked. Behind, the girl nodded. She could sense RegalTiamon's worry and guilt. "Don't worry, we can save him together." Sakura spoke that last one herself.

RegalTiamon heard and nodded. "But it's my fault." She herself spoke. "_Blaming yourself won't change anything,_" Sakura thought gently. Closing her eyes, she started to glow a luminescent pink. RegalTiamon lit up with the same color. The synchronization had connected. Both could feel each other. Chiisi backed away slightly from the sensation he felt. Half of his blood didn't like the scent but his human half tried to find comfort in it. It was the feeling of light…Sakura's light passed down from her digimon ancestry.

"_Listen, I know it's risky, but follow my lead._" Said Sakura. RegalTiamon was willing to do anything to redeem herself, even a risky move. NanoMamon watched carefully for anything that the dragon might try, confident in his little gambit. Then, there was movement. RegalTiamon descended towards him. NanoMamon prepared to finish his absorption. Myotismon gasped as he felt his data being sucked away and then he felt nothing. It wasn't from death, for he felt his body restored. NanoMamon let out a robotic grunt as RegalTiamon rammed into him. He hadn't expected an attack and it caught him off guard.

"A little overconfident I see?" RegalTiamon called. "Typical man." Although not fully a man, NanoMamon had a male disposition. He felt another brunt as Myotismon socked him right in his masked metal face. Another and another followed by a roundhouse kick.

"Couldn't you have tried another approach?" Myotismon asked RegalTiamon. The aforementioned dragoness snorted another puff of smoke. "Men are never satisfied." Rushing in again, RegalTiamon breathed out a steady stream towards the mechanized demon. "Royal Flame!" She cried just as NanoMamon was overtaken.

"I never get why we always have to shout out our attacks." Myotismon said, unflicking his wrist. "Crimson Lightning!" The red energy reached into the fire pulling out a reddened NanoMamon. Flinging him around, Myotismon dragged him across the buildings. Worrying about property damage was null at this point. Chiisi aided in this for Myotismon had allowed him to synchronize with him. Much of the area was decimated enough and Myotismon let out a final fling. NanoMamon attempted to recover from his side attack only to be met with RegalTiamon's claws.

With a swipe, he went flying, crashing into yet another building. Both digimon gave proud glances at each other, as did their partners. Risky moves, but the surprise had aided them. Silence didn't last long, for the remains of the building were shattered. NanoMamon said nothing as he emerged, save for one thing.

"DEBUG BEAMS!" Spreading out, he extended into a series of wires and cables. Fingers and limbs formed like ropes. Boots split apart, revealing more wires. Opening up, they revealed a small red jewel, a core, if willed. The same was with NanoMamon's head, his own single eye forming another core. Several of the wires pointed outwards into the sky and towards the pair.

Suddenly, red beams of death blasted forth from the wires, and the chest and eye cores at a rapid pace. RegalTiamon took most of the hits, seeing as her size was large. Sakura knelt down, yelling as she felt the shared pain of her partner. Acting, Chiisi directed a mental order to Myotismon.

"You got it, kid!" He called, rushing into the laser volley. NanoMamon kept the barrage going, eager to kill his enemies, not caring about absorption anymore. He could see the vampire coming. "FOOL!" He cried, unleashing more of his rage. Myotismon dodged, but took an occasional laser, particularly in his shoulder. There was one attack he hadn't tried since the fight started, but it could work.

"Nightmare Claw!" A wave of dark energy spread forth. The energy spread to NanoMamon. The red core turned gray, spreading up the wires. It stilled a few of the attacks enough for RegalTiamon to escape the lasers. "Do it now!" Myotismon cried, moving out of the way. Sakura herself recovered just as her partner did. It was time to finish this, the only way she and RegalTiamon could. Maybe they were overdoing it, but desperate times...

RegalTiamon spread out her wings and body, as did Sakura, her arms. "Lady Agni!" A fiery draconic outline formed across the Ultimate's body. Unlike the battle with Dagomon, RegalTiamon didn't charge up so much. When it was at a decent enough size, she released it. Roaring, the dragon flame spread into NanoMamon. Electrical sparks danced inside the machine, as the flames ate away at his form. NanoMamon's eye started to crack, until it exploded completely.

"DOW….NLO…A…..DIN…..G!" NanoMamon garbled, before his body ignited in an explosion, bits of data amidst the flames. The digimon and the humans were relieved, they had survived the battle and the outcome had been theirs. Unbeknownst to them however, something else happened during the explosion. The wires connecting to the chest core disconnected. Before NanoMamon's body exploded, it flew out into the distant sky, disappearing from view. The heroes didn't notice, they were too busy resting from their fight. That and RegalTiamon was glad she redeemed her prideful actions.

---

"You want us to do what!?" Jun said in disbelief. Just now, Sho had ridden in on Cerberumon, then telling his digimon to assist Parrotmon. Ceberumon didn't question those orders, a friend was a friend. Lastly, Sho had presented a strange idea to her, an idea that he had told Cerberumon about. "Trust me, it's going to work." Sho said with certainty.

Jun on the other hand wasn't so convinced. "You say you got this out of reading?" She asked. Sho merely nodded and looked back at the battle. Cerberumon was doing just as she was told. Like a good, obedient dog, she obeyed her master. Not that Sho considered himself his digimon's master, Cerberumon wouldn't have minded though.

"Mad Dog Fire!" Cerberumon breathed her emerald flames upon the monster. Grendmon growled before punching through the flames. "Hero Smasher!" His fist pounded the ground, but Cerberumon struck back with her own hardened claws. The metal left clear imprints upon the monster, who roared back in pain.

"Wow! Those are sharp!" Parrotmon said in shock. Cerberumon flashed a look of pride. "Chrome digizoid!" She recited the substance her claws were formed of. Grendmon didn't care about metals, he only wanted to smash the mutt before him. Another round of "Hero Smasher's" followed. Each time Cerberumon did her best to dodge. Grendmon would only get angrier with each thrust. Powerful they may have been, Grendmon was leaving himself largely open. So open that Cerberumon could see her chance. All that was needed was for Sho.

"Now Cerberumon!" Sho called. Hearing the cue, Cerberumon leapt upon Grendmon's arm. More like Cerberumon was hanging upon Grendmon, halfway covering his body. Or at least, by a quarter. Grendmon tried to shake her off. Raising his other arm up, he prepared to beat her off.

Managing to reach his left ear, Cerberumon quickly did the very thing Sho told her to do. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed loud and hard. The sound traveled down the ear canal, reaching the eardrum. "GRAGHGHGHG!" Grendmon screamed, clutching his ear. The cry turned into more of a whine, as Cerberumon screamed again. Whimpering, Grendmon sank to his knees at the noise.

"Parrotmon, join in!" Sho called to the bird. Seeing the positive reaction that Cerberumon got, Parrotmon joined in. Grendmon unleashed his aura, knocking the pair back momentarily as he soothed both ears. "Sonic Destroyer!" Parrotmon launched himself forth, grabbing onto the other. Struggling, both tried to outdo each other. Behind the battle, Sho grinned. All was working, this pleased him. Suddenly, he felt a pull upon his collar leading him right into Jun's face.

"What's the big idea telling my digimon what to do!?" She demanded. Clearly, she wasn't happy. In the past, Sho would have cringed in fear at the mere sight of Jun. Now that they had established a friendship of sorts, he merely pulled himself away.

"Sorry, but I needed him for the plan to work." Sho reasoned. Jun was still confused on that bit. "What exactly does screaming have to do with beating this guy?"

"Simple, the name Grendmon." Answered Sho. He gathered from Jun's expression she had no idea what he was talking about. "Obviously, you never read the epic poem Beowulf." Said Sho. "What the heck is Beowulf?" Asked Jun.

It was explanation time from the way Sho lit up. "Beowulf tells the story about a warrior who defeats a monster called Grendel. Pretty much, Grendel attacks the kingdom of Herot, because the singing from the meal hall disturbs his sensitive hearing. After so many attacks, a warrior named Beowulf comes and fights Grendel. Eventually, he kills the monster by ripping off his arm." Sho recited that all in one breath seemingly.

Jun wasn't stupid. She connected Grendmon's namesake with the story. "All that in a poem?" She asked. "Well, there was more about Grendel's mother coming for revenge and then Beowulf fighting a dragon. It's all rather interesting, although the last part seems disconnected. "But really I-" Sho was cut off by Jun's hand. "You can tell me this later Sanbara, but I think we should get back to the current matter."

Seeing that she was right, Sho saved the rest of the poem for another time. Both focused their energies on their digimon. Synching up, Jun personally pressed her own strength into her digimon. "_Come on, let it out, will ya!_" Jun thought to her digimon. Opening up his beak, Parrotmon let out another yell, joined in by Cerberumon. Grendmon attempted to force his aura upon the two, but he collapsed with the paralyzing vocalization. Taking that moment, Jun and Parrotmon both cried out "Sonic Destroyer!"

With his strength paused for the moment, Grendmon fell over like a building full of bricks. Ton of bricks could have been accepted as well, but building conveyed more of a fit. Next up was Sho and Cerberumon. Grendmon's arms were sprawled out. Once more, an opening was exposed. Sho and Cerberumon narrowed their eyes in concentration. Sho could almost feel the movement as Cerberumon leapt into the air, claws first. Chrome Digizoid was said to be the hardest metal in the Digital World. Now it was time to see if that was true. Cerberumon pressed down hard into the reptilian skin. Sho aided her, pressing his energy into the strike. Cerberumon had been correct in her assumption of her claws. Blood splashed forth as Grendmon's arm was clearly severed.

That was enough to rouse Grendmon. Rising up, he let out a wail. It wasn't the rage he demonstrated before, this time, sadness and pain were conveyed. "My….my…arm!" Grendmon cried out, trying to feel for his now deleted limb. Everybody watched as Grendmon seemed to shrink. Believe it or not, Grendmon actually shrank right back down to his original size. A lot of energy had been lost and it was time to finish.

"I got this." Offered Jun. Sparks flew up from Parrotmon's head feathers. The mental link with Jun aided him as the electricity shot forth. "Mjolnir Thunder!" Grendmon didn't react to the pain. Already he was in too much. All he wanted was for it to end, so therefore he gave up. In a flash, he deleted into nothing.

"We did it!" Cerberumon instantly reacted to their enemy's destruction. "I know. We actually beat him!" Parrotmon joined in. Both couldn't contain their excitement. The pair held onto each other's claws or paws or whatever, doing a little dance, completely destroying their display of rough and tough Ultimates.

"See? Reading is power!" Sho called, giving a little v sign for victory with his fingers. Jun had one thing to say to that. There were a lot of thoughts on the suddenness of this victory. Yet, that would fill up an entire paragraph. One sentence would suffice for Jun.

"I actually stopped thinking you were a nerd. Don't ruin it." She cautioned.

---

Synchronizing with their partners was an easy approach as far as Kazuya guessed. Before, NeoGenkimon would eagerly unite with his partner to battle whatever threatened them. This time however….

"Eat this!" NeoGenkimon cried, as he fired another one of his lasers. Phelesmon smiled and opened his maw. "Demon Shout!" The sonic attack collided against the beam, canceling it out. Unbelievable as it may have seemed, NeoGenkimon fired again once more, then a second time.

"Try something else. Unless you're too stupid to see our energy attacks are the same strength." Phelesmon said, mockingly. This only served for provocation. NeoGenkimon blindly followed it. "Chi Fist!" NeoGenkimon opened with his finishing move. Not a wise choice, as Phelesmon overtook it, grabbing the arm in mid strike.

"What!?" NeoGenkimon cried, as the demon punched him right in the face. The armored rabbit fell down, but managed to catch himself. Since they had left to fight the demon, Kazuya had been restricted to fighting on the roof of the building, whilst NeoGenkimon battled in mid air. With more, open space and no giant, anger-prone monster, the fight was less restricted. Yet, NeoGenkimon had ignored Kazuya's pleas for them to synchronize.

The boy tapped his foot with impatience, as his partner shook his head. "Arrgh! What am I doing wrong?" NeoGenkimon asked himself. "Maybe we could try fighting together?" Kazuya spoke as if he was scolding. Honestly, it made him feel like his sister, or Sakura on a bad day. NeoGenkimon shook his head again, this time in refusal. "I can do this!" He stated, affirmatively.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed!? We have to do this together!" Exclaimed Kazuya. The rabbit wasn't convinced at all. "He's up there mocking me! I can't let him get away with it!" With that said, NeoGenkimon flew up, ready to fight once more.

"NeoGenkimon!" Kazuya called after him, but it was too late, as the fight had already commenced. NeoGenkimon threw all his punches and kicks, not relying on his attacks to aid him. The result mostly was the same, if not entirely. Phelesmon continued to fly and mock his way throughout the battle. He wasn't above waving his butt or tail in the air, even if it made him seem childish. All he was trying to do was goad NeoGenkimon further. Needless to say, it was working.

From below, Kazuya watched his partner receive pummel after pummel. It was embarrassing and painful to watch. Kazuya had just about all he could take. "Fine! If he won't do it willingly, then I'll force him!" Kazuya declared, pulling his goggles over his eyes. Kazuya's face scrunched up as if he was thinking too hard. That, or having difficulty doing….business.

NeoGenkimon suddenly felt a spike in his brain. "What!?" He cried, stopping mid strike. Phelesmon would have taken advantage of the situation but he was rather perplexed by what was happening. "Kazuya!? What are you doing!?" NeoGenkimon blurted. His body moved in a strange dance.

"_No buts!_" Kazuya thought-scolded. "_We're fighting together and that's final!_" NeoGenkimon thrust his fist forward, nailing Phelesmon right in the jaw. The devil was confused. It didn't last, as he placed all concentration towards his opponent. This time was vastly different. Phelesmon halted in his mocking and fully went on the attack. His "Demon Shout" and pitchfork thrusts did most of the work, only now NeoGenkimon was able to dodge and retaliate against most of them.

"What is going on!?" Phelesmon cried aloud, before he was punched once more in the face. NeoGenkimon flashed his proudest grin. "I'm kicking your tail, that's what!" Phelesmon could sense something was amiss about the fighter's attitude. Some other force lay behind it. His mind recalled back to the human boy. He kept demanding the pair "synchronize" or something. Another punch came and he dodged it. His eyes traced down to the boy. He looked like he was in deep concentration. A string of mental energy was coming from the boy. Sadistically, Phelesmon smiled.

"Black Statue!" Phelesmon held his arms out, then closed them together. Instantly, NeoGenkimon found himself unable to move. Matching, the hand motions, a wave of black energy had swirled around NeoGenkimon, then hardened into a black, stone-like coat. "You've got to be kidding me!" NeoGenkimon struggled to break free, but he could do nothing.

"Ha! Not so mighty now, are we?" Phelesmon mocked. NeoGenkimon scowled at him, even after Phelesmon socked him right in the face till his nose bled. Pleased, Phelsmon descended down. NeoGenkimon suspected the reason. "Kazuya!" He called out.

It was too late, for he felt a grasp around his arm. Phelesmon now held a struggling Kazuya. "Let me go, creep!" The teenager cried, kicking his back foot upon Phelesmon's chest. The devil laughed at the attempt, hardly affected in the least. "Such a strong little human, aren't you?" Phelesmon bared his pitchfork right in front of Kazuya. Immediately, it shut him up.

"Interesting that a human and a digimon bonded at such a level." Phelesmon took one of his pitchfork ends and pressed it against Kazuya's cheek. Running it down provoked a grunt-like yell from the boy. Blood dripped down from the wound. Keen eyes caught a drip that fell from above.

The smile on Phelesmon's face grew more sadistic. "I wonder what would happen if one were to go?" Phelesmon asked, aloud. Ascending in the air, he held out the arm that held Kazuya. "Since this boy is the cause of your strength, perhaps I should just get rid of him." It was a statement, not a question.

NeoGenkimon's eyes widened in shock. Phelesmon could see even from behind. "Not to worry. A strong warrior such as you has only his pride to worry about." A laugh followed his statement as Phelesmon released his grasp on Kazuya. Per the expected reaction, Kazuya screamed upon his descent of sure death.

Hearing his partner's cries, NeoGenkimon reacted with one action. "Kazuya!" He cried. In a blue aura flash, the black coating broke like glass. Quickly acting, he flew down, catching Kazuya in his arms. Phelesmon was speechless at what had just happened.

"Thanks." Said Kazuya, still a little stunned from his brush with near-death. NeoGenkimon set him down and looked up at Phelesmon with hate-filled eyes. "Kazuya, you ready?" He asked. Kazuya nodded with a grin.

In another aura flash, NeoGenkimon ascended in the air. Phelesmon knew he had struck a sore point. That became apparent as NeoGenkimon stared him down. "Demon Shout!" Phelesmon cried in panic at the rabbit's expression.

"Chi Fist!" NeoGenkimon's fist charged with the familiar aura. "Nobody!" He said, as he punched Phelesmon in the face. "Touches!" NeoGenkimon punched once more, this time in Phelesmon's gut, which reached his spinal cord. "My partner!" NeoGenkimon delivered a roundhouse kick to Phelesmon's face, which was followed by repeated kicks to his gut. Finally, NeoGenkimon delivered an uppercut.

Phelesmon felt limp, as his pitchfork fell to the ground and he along with it. Ignoring his enemy, NeoGenkimon flew down to attend to his partner. "Kazuya, are you alright?" He asked with concern. Kazuya put his hand over his bleeding cheek. "Just need water and a washcloth." Kazuya smiled. "Guess I was right, huh?" NeoGenkimon rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose I got in a little over my head, huh?"

"More than a little!" Kazuya laughed. NeoGenkimon joined in. Suddenly, a third one did as well...more sadistic than the others. The pair stopped as Phelesmon lay on the ground, laughing. "What's so funny!?" Kazuya demanded. "Yeah, you lost, creep!" NeoGenkimon added.

Even though he didn't have the strength to stand up himself, Phelesmon still found humor in the situation. "You really think this is the end?" He asked. Both chosen partners looked confused, but from the statement knew something big was coming. "Fools! My brothers and I were only the first wave. There are about three of us left." Phelesmon wheezed, as he body prepared for deletion.

"What are you talking about? Who's coming?" Kazuya demanded to know, clenching his fist. NeoGenkimon mimicked his partner. Managing a smile, Phelesmon answered. "The Demon Corps will not fall easily!" That was all the answer given as Phelesmon joined his brethren in the abyss. Kazuya and NeoGenkimon felt relief, but also uncertainty. With each victory, something new loomed on the horizon and reluctantly they would have to face it.

To be continued….

A/N: Another one down um some number to go. Just to let everybody know the master that the Fallen Angels serve is not Apocalymon. As I recall it was only said that the original Digidestined fought a being that came from beyond the wall of fire. It could have been Apocalymon but in this story it isn't. You are welcome to guess as I left some hints. Well one problem down but knowing me the DD's are not going to have an easy time from here on out.

On an unrelated note tomorrow is my birthday. Yep and as an early present I got the X-Box 360 bundle with Final Fantasy 13 fun times! Anyway enjoy and I hope you will all stick around till the end.


	42. Chapter 42

The red orb flew through the sky. Its speed was fast, passing through everything it crossed. So fast, it was that if a flying digimon passed by, it would now have a new hole in it. Only a trained eye could see it. In this case, a trained hand is what it would take to catch it, because that is exactly what happened. Between sharpened nails, the orb was held. The sunlight reflected an image in the red glass. A masked face looked at its own reflection, a golden mask with two rows of three eyes with similar colors. Perhaps for decoration or maybe a perfect fit.

In full view the creature, a digimon stood. A pale body with several red metal orbs embedded into it. Upon the shoulders was a black leather strap connected by belts, wrapping around the neck. Brown wrapping extended down the elongated arms around the golden-tipped claws. Same colored shin guards were over the digimon's knees. A pair of black, loose leather pants held the similar belt design, just above spike-footed boots. Angry red wings spread out with a small blanket of white hair, as messy and pale as the digimon's body.

"So, he's dead?" A feminine voice asked behind the devil digimon. The devil looked over the orb carefully. "Not quite. This one managed to download himself into a compact form. He's still there, but only half-conscious." A grave face was under the digimon's mask. "I can sense Grendmon and Phelesmon did not survive. Their life force has ended."

Just behind the devil stood a demonic looking female, she appeared mostly human save for her grey skin. A black skin tight costume fit her body, going over her waist like a swimsuit and against her arms like black vinyl gloves. Purple nails just poked out of the material. The same shaded purple ran down in lines over the shemon's black pants to her high-heeled boots. A long stream of red hair distracted from the otherwise dark form with bright orange colored eyes. Lastly, two little black bat wings served as ears of sorts to the creature.

"A shame that those weaklings share our blood." She pouted. "You speak ill of our brothers, Succubimon?" The masked digimon questioned. Succubimon threw up her arms, rising from her sitting place. "Why, of course NeoDevimon. They were just born and they were already deleted." Succubimon turned to a third member of their party. "What say you, Mephistomon?"

The Mephistomon in question was larger than his siblings, a looming creature with purple fur covering his arms and legs. Black wings, not as grand as his brother and sisters, spread form a black body plate. From the face, Mephistomon appeared very much like a goat. The same applied to the hooves that served as feet. Sad red eyes stared out over the horizon. Spiraled horns crowned his head, and his purple hair was parted in sideburns. Against the melancholyness that he presented, Mephistomon had a poofy cloth on his shoulder, much like a jester's. Additionally, an orange and black striped sleeve ran halfway down his arms, further complementing the clown-like façade. Another addition to the oddness was the limping wing behind his waist. As a last addition, a symbol of a pentagram was smack dab in the center of his chest.

Mephistomon looked back to his siblings, only giving a snort, neither confirming nor denying a response. Succubimon huffed at the non-vocalization of it all. The demon goat looked back outside the land, observing nothing in particular. Yet his mind was ablaze with thinking. All of their brains were. Already they had lost half of their ranks. The trio would act, but they were bound to their blood parent.

Demon knew that as he walked up to them, grabbing the red orb without so much as a thought. NeoDevimon allowed it, bowing his head in respect at the elder demon. An evil glint shone in his eyes. All that was NanoMamon was contained within the orb, still alive but not much use to his goals, except one goal that is. The orb rose in the air, Demon's doing. The blue jewel atop his head glowed in resonance with the orb. Then, something peculiar happened. The orb started to break apart, dispersing into data. What remained of the digimon's form was soon absorbed into Demon's jewel and by extension, into himself.

The demon lord accepted the new information with glee. So much had been recorded during the fight with the digidestined. NanoMamon and his brothers may have fallen, but their efforts were not in vain. Soon, the data merged with him completely. It had one more task to undertake. Demon wasn't one to share such soldiers with Lilithmon and Cherubimon. First, something had to be done about that genetic lock that had been placed on them. The remaining Demon Corps could feel their data growing and changing, slowly, but surely. Demon grinned. Soon, it would be his time to rise.

xxx

Behind them, Comp City lay. Or what was left of it. The city may have been in shambles, but the citizens would rebuild. It would be a long process as corruption had gripped it for too long. Perhaps it was better left to the civilians. After all, they had allowed such decadent greed to overtake them. Harsh as it sounded even the most frivolous lifestyles had their downsides. In this case, gambling proved a negative aspect.

"Do you think it's alright that we just leave like this?" Asked Sakura. Being the always kind girl that she was, she felt more than a little responsible for the destruction. Kazuya shared her sentiments but he held a more realistic approach. "I know Sakura, but we've got more important things to do." He reasoned. It was better to say Kazuya's reasoning was more heroic-minded than anything.

"Yeah and I don't want to stack bricks or anything like that." Gazimon piped."Amen to that, rabbit." Jun added, stretching her arms. She could still feel the pangs of the battle from synching with her digimon.

Kazuya didn't want to admit it, but he felt that way as well. Being the leader, he had to show a more responsible approach to the situation. As far as he knew, leaders didn't gripe about building repair, even if helping seemed the most responsible thing to do.

At everybody's side, their digimon stood. Out here in the wilderness anything could happen. Each of them were in their Rookie states. Apparently, reverting to In-Training after reaching Ultimate was a one time deal. Easier to travel that way and a majority of them preferred that. DemiDevimon perched himself upon Chiisi's shoulder, even if he enjoyed being an all powerful devil or vampire. Labramon was the most comfortable in her Rookie form. That way she could brush herself up against Sho's leg.

"Well, I'm glad to get out of that city." She announced doing one of her favorite things, rubbing against Sho's leg. "It was a mean place!" The dog stated with utmost captaincy. "No argument there." Sho responded by petting Labramon on the head.

Suddenly, he felt a small tap against his shoulder. "Oh, you're just happy to finally get away from your girlfriend." Snickered Jun. Immediately Sho blushed. "She was not my girlfriend!" He exclaimed. Labramon's growl was testament to that. "Mmm hmm! That explains why you seem so upset." Jun sarcastically chortled.

Chiisi of course, remained silent for the most part. He still couldn't shake off the never-ending feeling of doom that seemed to follow them. No matter where they went, evil always followed. It was rather unfair, but seemed to come with the hero job description. "You think it's okay to follow what that says?" Chiisi asked Kazuya.

What Chiisi referred to was the letter sticking out of Kazuya's jacket. Picking it up, he read over the contents again. "Don't see why not. Might as well take a chance." The letter, this is what started their new journey. Events of the day played back to them on what lead to their departure from Comp City.

xxx

_The group looked over the destruction that had followed in the wake of the battle with the Demon Corps, as the evil trio had called themselves. Rubble from the buildings were strewn about the streets. Behind, they could see several holes in the once glorious arena. It wasn't so glorious on the inside as many of the combatants and workers would testament. Several of the digimon, mostly Gazimon, were about the streets, while many others were of various kinds._

"_I'm free!" One shouted. A Snimon ran about the area, a recognized member of the arena apparently happy that he no longer had to battle. "Geez, I hope we don't get blamed for this." Jun remarked. Kazuya groaned at her inability to take responsibility for their actions. Then again, it wasn't preferable that they get punished for things that were beyond their control. All these fights with bad guys just happened over the course of time. It wasn't like they had a magic button that could make all their troubles vanish, although Sho wished that they did have a button like that._

_All of them had reunited after their own little battles. To each they told their struggles and their victories. Sakura left out the part about her digimon letting the power go to her head. This was upon Fairydramon's request, although Gazimon suspected they were hiding something._

_Everything was done except the last bit of info that Kazuya mentioned. The Demon Corps, before Phelesmon kicked the digital bucket, he mentioned his brothers. Whether that was literal or metaphorical was yet to be seen. But they seriously doubted that the bad guys would lie. Sure some did, but not with info as foreboding as that._

"_Eh, so what? We can handle em!" Gazimon said, overconfidently. His overconfidence was well earned for they had managed to defeat three already. Three more on the way would be easy pickings. So they assumed, but mostly the assumption fell upon Gazimon. Most of the smarter digimon knew it wouldn't be so easy. Things hadn't gone smoothly since their arrival in Directory._

"_Hey, you survived!" A familiar voice called out. Familiar to Sho, Sakura, Chiisi and their respective digimon. "Burgermon?" Sakura said, surprised. Out of all the digimon they had met in this wretched place, Burgermon had been their sole friend, or at least, just a really good boss._

_The food digimon walked up to them. "Boy, it's a mess around here. Lucky to be alive." He said, not complaining but rather just realizing. The digidestined almost apologized for that, but said nothing. Each of them felt rather embarrassed at what had just happened. "Good news is Minotarumon is dead!" Burgermon cheered._

_It was a shared sentiment amongst everybody, including the Gazimon workers. Some of them actually appeared to be celebrating. That would show that maybe they weren't such nasty creatures, but merely wanted to cozy up to who was in charge. The former case, it was Minotarumon._

_Burgermon said nothing more, gesturing them to a small area of the city, funny how the populace didn't stay inside. Post-apocalyptic scenery always had something like this. Not that anybody found this post-apocalyptic. The mushroom clouds and cannibal mutants were the only missing features. Where they were lead held no seats except for rubble._

"_Any reason why we walked all the way here?" Jun asked. Burgermon shook his head. "No reason. Just felt like walking. That and to get away from everybody else." He knelt in close in a whispering motion. "Let me guess. You guys are the ones who did that fat slob in, eh?"_

_The question was answered as it caught everybody off guard. "Ah ha! I knew it!" Burgermon cheered. "Finally, I'm free!" Then in an instant motion Burgermon ripped off his shock collar. That was right...the collars. In the chaos the group had forgotten of their symbol of slavery. Since the battles' end they had felt it loosen. Perhaps Minotarumon's death ended it? Whatever the reason, they gladly took them off, throwing them to the ground with a clatter._

"_Ah, my neck feels so good!" Labramon cheered. The canine felt the most free out of them all. "There's only one person I want slapping a collar on me and that's Sho-chan!" Labramon rubbed herself against her partner's leg. Now with Goma-chan gone she felt the freedom to do so. The seal herself had disappeared after the fight, per Sho's worry._

"_Well, that settles it, you are all coming back to my place for dinner!" Burgermon announced. Labramon opened her mouth, drooling in anticipation. Right on Sho's leg. "Sorry, Sho-chan." She apologized. "Hold on, you have your own place?" Chiisi asked._

"_Yep." Burgermon replied, getting up. "Only slaves get the quarters. Higher-ups like me have their own suites." Gazimon liked the sound of that. "You know, being a slave doesn't sound like a bad notion now." A thwack on the head from Kazuya shut him up. "Give the hedonism a rest." Kazuya chided. "I kind of agree. Sure, I got the best perks." Burgermon halted in his steps. His fists clenched as he remembered his own branding. "But it meant nothing if you weren't a free mon."_

_Jun sighed. "Again with the mon puns. When will it end?"_

"_But he is a digimon." Penguinmon reminded. "Yeah, but still..." Jun was nothing more said as they left. Burgermon escorted them back inside the arena. Ironic, as they wanted to get away from that place. Up the stairs they went and through the halls. The path wasn't much for description. It was very much the same with only some destruction. Soon they were back in the food hall. Behind the counter, there was a door right in the kitchen._

"_He lives in the kitchen?" Sakura asked. "It sort of fits, wouldn't you say?" Fairydramon asked with her own question. She was right, it somewhat did. Under his hat, Burgermon pulled out a key, which of course he unlocked it with. "Mind you I already have some guests here. Now that I think of it, it was mighty rude of me to leave them here." Burgermon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh well. Nothing to be done now." He brushed that feeling aside instantaneously._

"_Really easy going fellow." Chiisi commented to himself. The door opened showing a living room immediately, rather nice for a place that was so hostile on the outside. Simple tan carpet with a table in the middle, was the dining room apparently. Although the features were simple what stole their attention were the guests. Seated were four digimon, two males and two females. Familiar faces, a Terriermon, a Lopmon, a Gazimon and a Gomamon. The Gomamon especially was familiar._

"_Sho-sama!" Goma-chan leapt an incredible distance from her chair and into Sho's arms. Labramon growled behind her grinding teeth. Terriermon waved a hand at the group. "Hey, how's it going?" He asked. Lopmon politely waved. "Very happy to see you."_

_The moment was ruined as they saw the last rabbit who currently was smoking on a cigarillo. "What's she doing here!" Kazuya blurted. The female Gazimon took a drag on her smoke, blowing out a cloud. "What's it look like? I'm resting." She replied blankly._

"_Found these three helping a bunch of stragglers in the arena." Burgermon revealed. Kazuya and the other digidestined couldn't believe their ears. Lopmon more than likely, Terriermon probably, but the Gazimon? "Are you sure?" Kazuya asked. "Why would I be here!?" The female snapped._

_There was tension in the air. Not too long ago, this digimon was their enemy. Now here she was, sitting down comfortably. "Okay, dinner time!" Burgermon announced, breaking the tension. Hungry as they were, everybody sat where they could. Goma-chan still clung to Sho, even as her food was offered to her. It was no surprise to the group what they ate, even as the flashback ended._

xxx

"Kami, I'm going to get fat eating this." Jun said between mouthfuls of her fried egg and sausage sandwich. Yet she kept eating, for it was that good. The others felt the same way as they chowed down. A little parting present from Burgermon before they departed.

DemiDevimon took a bite out of his, contemplating the taste a bit. "You say these are bad for you?" He asked. Chiisi swallowed. "Yet we continue to put these through our lower intestines." There was truth to that statement. All the stuff that was bad for you always tasted great. Most didn't really care. (particularly in Labramon's case as she was currently begging for scraps). Kazuya was one of those. He was busy reading the letter again. It had been given to them after they had eaten, slipped right under the door. Chiisi and DemiDevimon were the first to notice it. Kazuya was the first to read it.

_Dear Digidestined,_

_Yes, let's not beat around the bush I know who you are and why you are here. You have made an enemy out of the Fallen Angels. Something I secretly have in common with you. I am cordially inviting you to my home in Monde City. I strongly suggest you come, for it would be good to have friends in high places._

_Signed, Don Guil_

That was what the letter read. Don Guil, head of the Guil family. That was what Burger described. The Guil family were another crime family established in Monde City. When asked, Burgermon could describe the Guil family as someone you wouldn't want to make enemies out of. The last head had a reputation for handling such in rather brutal manners. Yet, there was a code of honor, something that you wouldn't associate with crime.

"_Nobody refuses an invitation from a Don Guil._" Burgermon's warning words echoed. But there was a lining over that cloud. Burgermon also mentioned that the current Don wasn't as ruthless as past ones. That only was half-comforting. Criminals were criminals, but it seemed their next destination was clear. Not much sense to ignore their current pace. So they announced their plans of departure during dinner. Burgermon, ever the gracious host insisted they spent the night to at least plan things before going. They agreed and the memories commenced.

xxx

"_So your minds made up?" Sakura asked. Kazuya looked out at the moonlit town. "Yep." He replied. Looking back to her, she could see that feeling in his eyes. The feeling always appeared when he decided on something reckless. "Don't give me that look." He responded to Sakura's own disapproving glance. It was the kind that opposed such ideas. Below, their digimon didn't need an explanation DemiDevimon however was curious._

"_So, what's with the staring contest?" He asked Chiisi. Chiisi looked over at his cousin and friend. He had seen this contest many times before. "It's just something that adds to their ambiguous romance." He answered. This was their conversation, so the boy stayed out of it. _

"_Ahem!" Terriermon spoke up. "There's still the matter of the bill." The rabbit reminded. Lopmon fumed red. "Oh brother, can't you just drop that!?"_

"_What? I was just about to say forget about it." The staring contest ended. The surprises of the day never ceased. Lopmon, worried for his brother, put his hand against his forehead. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked. Terriermon slapped his twin's hand away. "I'm fine. I just found a new business opportunity and it concerns our dear host, Burgermon."_

_Burgermon stood up upon mention of his name. "Me?"_

"_Yes you, my boy!" Terriermon put his arm around his shoulder. "I have to say, those were the finest burgers I ever ingested. It would be a shame not to share it with the world." Burgermon blushed as his work was praised. "You mean, open a restaurant!" He said, excitedly. It was every chef's dream It wasn't Terriermon's. "No, I mean yeah. Sell them, but a general store is what I'm talking about."_

_General store, that got everybody scratching their heads. A random idea just as random as a boy opening a noodle cart. "Think about it! The economy here is poor so why not open something with low prices. The crowds will flock, spending more money while at the same time filling their bellies!" Terriermon's eyes shone with greed as he pictured the digital bits flowing in. "It's an easy street to fortune!"_

_Lopmon often held disregards to his brother's money schemes. This however, didn't sound half bad. "You might be on to something. And we'll be helping people." One vote down, now for the rest. "So, what do you two say?" Terriermon asked Burgermon and the Gazimon female._

_The female looked up from her latest cigarillo. "Hmm?" Terriermon smirked putting on his best romantic face. Kneeling down, he took the tough mon's hand, kissing it. The female didn't even look angry, only bewildered by this display. "With the arena and Minotarumon gone, you're out of a job."_

_A little vein popped. He had to mention that. But it was true, there was no way around it. "So what do you say? I could use someone, maybe security?" Terriermon suggested. She thought for a moment. Earlier recollections of the day played back to her. Terriermon had put his life on the line to help her. Nobody had ever done that for her. Her men probably moved on to other parts already. There was no real loyalty amongst them. "Fine, whatever, sure." She said, flicking her ears back, seeing no other alternative._

_Terriermon nearly leapt for joy. Everything was falling into place perfectly. Lopmon could see the hints of his brother's true intentions. In a rare occasion of charity he was offering a lost one a free job. On the other hand, he could see Terriermon still hadn't given up on the concept of romance. Future heirs and uncle Lopmon seemed evident in the future. Or at least, what his twin hoped for the future._

_Kazuya and Sakura didn't know what to make of the situation. At least they didn't have to pay anymore._

_xxx_

"_Sho-sama?" Goma-chan asked. Sho, Jun and their digimon had strayed away from the others. It seemed to work that way. Kazuya, Sakura and Chiisi, the three of them knew each other before the summer camp incident. What with going to different schools and all. He and Jun hadn't known each other in friendship for the longest time. Yet they seemed to go together. Penguinmon was glad Jun's harsh demeanor had changed. Labramon didn't much care for other female company being with Sho, besides her that is. The seal fit that category._

"_Sho-chan is tired and needs to rest!" Labramon stated with her chest out and her head high. "We have a long journey ahead." Goma-chan looked ready to deliver an insulting retort to the dog. Labramon expected it. Something different came though. "I just want a moment, that's all." She pleaded. In her eyes there was no jealous scorn, Labramon picked up on that. She looked for anything suspicious, but her canine senses found no trace. "Okay, fine. But make it quick!" Labramon snapped, wanting Goma-chan out of here as soon as possible. She wanted ample cuddling time with Sho._

_Goma-chan nodded a thanks. Jun sat back in her chair. If not currently mentioned they were in the restaurant. Not for any reason, just because they felt like it. "Oh, this is going to be good." Jun said to herself. "What?" Penguinmon asked. "What's going to be good?" Jun merely turned his head back to the boy and seal. "Oh, just watch." She directed._

_Sho looked down at the seal, feeling something, sadness within. "What is it, Goma-chan?" Goma-chan took a breath before starting. "Your mind's made up on going to Monde city?" She asked. Looking back to Jun for confirmation he found he didn't need it. Even if the decision wasn't his, he would go nonetheless. "Yeah." He nodded._

"_Let me guess, you want to come with us?" Labramon asked. A denying argument on her part was prepared "No. I mean I was, but I've decided I would only get in your way." Said Goma-chan. This brought on surprise to the dog and boy. Since knowing her, Goma-chan was all about being with Sho, her sama. "In the ring, I realized that. Look at me; I wasn't any use to you when that monster attacked." Goma-chan said earnestly. "If I went with you I would only get in your way. Labramon is the better protector." She admitted._

_Labramon couldn't believe her ears. "Excuse me?" She asked. Goma-chan didn't respond to her, only to Sho. "Please promise me you'll be careful, my Sho-sama." Labramon didn't growl as she heard that and Sho didn't feel nervous as the seal waddled in close. Putting on a bright smile of reassurance, he grasped one of her flippers earnestly. "Don't worry, I will."_

_Goma-chan smiled. "Labramon, you'll take care of him, right?" She asked, turning to her once rival. Labramon didn't need to be asked that. "You don't have to ask me that." She stated. At last Goma-chan felt some happiness. Words leapt into her throat, but she found nothing. Turning away, she walked over to Labramon. Gesturing her to come down, the dog lowered her head _

"_You know, now's your chance to say something. Otherwise, I may have to track him down." Goma-chan whispered. Labramon stood straight up in a blush. Goma-chan smirked before sneaking off. Right before she left, she blew a small kiss to Sho. Unsure if he was able to feel it, Goma-chan would always have a place in her heart for the human boy who had saved her life. The future of her life was uncertain, but she was a fighter and she would survive._

_Jun leaned back in her chair disappointedly. "Cop out." Was her comment on the scene._

_xxx_

Back in reality, Kazuya put the letter into his jacket. A sigh escaped him. So this was it, their next goal. The following morning they had bid everybody farewell. Burgermon, The bunny brothers, the Gazimon female and Goma-chan. The latter had found a new place. Apparently, Terriermon found her cute face would appeal to customers. At least, she had a happy end from what she went through.

Would the same apply to them? Here they were acting on a letter's instruction. Their only source of direction was secondhand from Burgermon. "Are you okay, Kazuya?" He heard Sakura ask. While his digimon was trying to flirt with Fairydramon, the girl had snuck away from the eventual beating. "Yeah." He put on a smile. Sakura smiled right back. "I know when you're lying."

Kazuya couldn't help but laugh. She always had a way of making him smile, Just as he did to her. Their friendship was something that fit together like a puzzle. The bigger puzzle was their journey. How would it all fit together in the end? That was the bigger mystery and they had no choice but to see it to the conclusion.

Demon felt the data shifting his own. "Just a little more" He repeated those words each time he felt a shift. Another shift gave out. Pieces were connecting. The jewel upon his brow shone. His face gritted as the pain intensified with each data surge.

Then, it stopped. "Yes, that's it!" He cried, jubilantly. Unbecoming of a demon lord, but he was in such a mood. The genetic coding that connected he and his fellow Fallen Angels to the Demon Corps had been altered. Altered so that only he was connected to the Demon Corps.

Everything was falling into place as the villain cliché went. Soon however, Lilithmon and Cherubimon would sense it. That would put a damper in his plans, but he was prepared for that. They wouldn't get in his way, not now. Duskmon was another matter. Demon knew the dark one sensed his true intentions.

"I'll crush that fool as well." Demon promised himself, if it came to that. Plans always came in parts. Already, he had sent the Demon Corps to Monde City and soon he would be joining them. Certainly, there was no other place for the digidestined to go. Besides, he had to monitor the new head of the Guil family.

Maya stood alone in the white chamber. Thoughts of the day pressed against her mind. Things were not going exactly how she envisioned. The children and their partners were handling it, but every time a new challenge awaited them. Soon, they would reach the end. "I pray for them, my creator." She spoke to the golden god. The long deleted digimon that she owed her life to.

Suddenly, a dark shadow crept over the bright scenery. A shadow she knew far too well. "You pray to one that no longer hears." Duskmon spoke, materializing into view. Maya didn't turn around, keeping the digital creature unaddressed. Duskmon put out his arms. Without hands, the motion had less effect. "Is that anyway to treat your brother?"

"You are no longer my brother, Drian." Maya said quietly. Before there was a hint of amusement in Duskmon's eyes and voice. Now that dropped. "That is no longer my name." Maya kept her head away. Where Duskmon stood, the shadow crept, stopping only where she stood. "Then my brother truly is dead."

The shadow snaked back to Duskmon, covering only a partiality of the room. "You're still keeping your faith in such an overzealous element." Duskmon chided. "I'm only keeping the balance." Maya stated. Duskmon couldn't help but laugh. "Light...the holy element...good and evil...you're just as bad as that Piddomon and look where it got him."

"Piddomon tried to overturn the balance, just as you are doing." Maya stated."Perhaps." Duskmon agreed. The shadow started to move from his feet. In small tentacles, it flowed. Each one reached out to Maya, trying to keep her close. Yet they couldn't reach for the digital girl warded them off. "Darkness is the true nature of every being. No matter how holy or good they may be, darkness always swallows them, revealing their true nature. You and I are both servants doomed to this endless conflict."

Duskmon held out his arm, which melted away into a robed hand. "Come with me, Maya. Join me and escape the conflict. Enter him and join the true nature of the universe." When Maya still didn't turn, it transformed back into the dragon skull. "Fine, be that way. You always were Huanglongmon's good little girl."

That said, the being formerly known as Drian vanished, called back to his master. Maya turned to the wall at last. A few traces of shadow hung in the air. She too warded those off. Drian was the darkness and she the light, forever in conflict, never going hand in hand. Silently, she blamed that for their falling out. Still, she blamed herself now and forever more.

To be continued...

A/N: I'm not sure if this is a filler chapter or not but I wanted to put an end to the whole Goma-chan and bunny brother plotline. Tried my best to be enigmatic in some cases so I hope I did a good job on that. Thinking up city names is hard so I named it after something I know. Monde City is a reference to a virus I once had on my laptop called Vundo otherwise known as Virtuemonde. Get it Monde? Bad pun but it's the only thing I can think off. Crime is lie ka virus it spreads and well I thought the name would fit. If you want to know about this virus google it on wikipedia that explains it and I don't want to take up page space talking about it.

Speaking of virus my editor is still having computer troubles. So rather than me waiting to get it fixed he gave me the okay to post it. I just edited it myself but probably not as good as him. Anyway enjoy!


	43. Chapter 43

Impmon hated his life at this point. Being a digimon of the dark disposition, it was expected he would seek a profession as such. It was a stereotype among his kind, but he held no qualms about it. The Fallen Angels were really the only great evil in the Digital World since the war between the dark one and the golden god. Grandiose dreams of joining them filled his head so he did every dirty thing he could do...sucking up to the higher ranked minions...aiding them in whatever he could. Now here he was in the halls of their castle. It was a dream come true, if not for the fact he was reduced to being a servant. Okay, he expected he would be a servant, but he had a spying role for himself in mind...that, or a bodyguard. But that wasn't to be.

Instead, he was a slave boy to Lilithmon. Ah, Lilithmon. Impmon found himself lost in her dark beauty, a pure epitome of evil, at least of the feminine variety. That was the only saving grace Impmon could find, as he toiled away."Not so hard! I don't want my nails scratched!" Lilithmon snapped. Impmon flinched slightly under the tone of her voice, almost dropping the nail file he was holding.

"Yes em." He mumbled as he worked away. Lilithmon crossed her legs, as her new little minion worked away. In her opposite hand, she still held the black digitama. Never did it leave her grip, except almost this time. A strange feeling overcame her. Dizziness dazed her head, making her feel light. In this, she didn't feel her grip slip. The black digitama fell from her grasp. Seeing this, Impmon dove just as the egg was about to hit the floor.

"What?" Lilithmon said, as she snapped back to attention. The first thing she felt was the absence of the digitama. Looking down, she saw it in the gloved hands of Impmon. "Give me that!" She cried, taking the future body of her master away and giving its holder a swift kick. Something was wrong; she could feel it in her data. That was it; it felt more like her data had been altered. Something has been shifted. The only one who would know what was going on was Cherubimon. Without a word, she left to seek out the scientist.

As she left, Impmon picked himself up. "The thanks I get." He griped as he licked his wounds. But as he gazed at the demoness's departing form, he couldn't help but sigh. "Eh, it's worth it!" He declared. A little pain here and there was tolerable. If he worked hard, he might just move up. At least, he hoped so.

Tired and ragged, that was how the digidestined and their digimon looked and felt. The terrain of Directory had proven harsher as they progressed from Comp City. Greenery abandoned their feet as the brown death crunched under their heels. The sun heated their bodies, much worse for Penguinmon and Labramon. Being a creature better suited for colder climates, the bird suffered. For Labramon, apparently her canine appearance matched the qualities of one, such as a lack of sweat glands. The inability to digest chocolate was still up for debate however, since she had never ingested any.

Everybody else seemed to handle it until the salty sweat poured out. Every last ounce drained their energy. Their clothes clung to their now sticky bodies. Furthermore, Gazimon's antics hadn't helped. In his slightly delusional state, he had made the mistake of flirting with a female Okuwamon. The giant insect had not reciprocated and acted normally. At least, Fairydramon found it a normal reaction. It affected the group, as she chased them down. Although it was intended solely for Gazimon, the rest suffered as well.

Luckily, they managed to get away, mostly because a wild Triceramon barged in, initiating a fight. This left them an opportunity to slip away. The sun had begun to set, making things far easier. Yet, if they didn't' reach Monde City soon, none of them were sure they would make it. Those worries were dispersed. The map and directions Burgermon had given them lead them to the sea. The vast digital expanse of water stretched out as far as the eye could see, a whole continent away with no island in sight. It made them miss File Island. A simpler land mass was much appreciated.

Like a jewel, something shone, reflecting into the water. It was a city, their destination, Monde City. Diamond in the ruff, jewel of the night, anything could be said from the gem that shone in their eyes. Tall buildings stood up outlined, but were too far away to make distinguishing descriptions. It didn't matter what the buildings looked like, they had made it and now they ran towards it. Even with their breath departing they still managed to press on.

Cherubimon nearly fell over. His body swayed for a moment, as his energy depleted. The beakers and test tubes nearly fell over as he used his lab table for support. "Cherubimon-sama?" Tsukaimon asked. The artificial construct was still as emotionless as ever...voice-wise that is. Her face seemed to etch a degree of concern for her creator. The demon rabbit waved a dismissive hand. His somewhat daughter (technically it was true) flew away back to her spot, which was one of the many dark areas of the lab. Only would she move for her somewhat father's (again technically true) call.

"You felt it as well?" Cherubimon turned to the voice behind. Lilithmon strode in from the dimly-lit lab. "You really should clean around here." Lilithmon noted the various leaks and dust that kicked at her feet. "No time. So much work." Cherubimon excused. Once more he faltered, nearly slipping over a small pool of whatever it was. "I take it you had the same spell?" Lilithmon nodded. "Explain." She bluntly demanded.

Cherubimon was precise in his words too, straight and to the point. "Our connection to the clones has been severed."

"The clones?" Lilithmon recalled the connection that Cherubimon had spoken of. The digimon he had created were linked to them. Any whim of theirs, the clones would obey. "From what I can hypothesize, somebody has blocked our link to them. Our DNA has been completely overwritten." Cherubimon furthered explained. "and another has taken control."

Lilithmon's violet eyes widened at that bit of news. Cherubimon understood the whole connection thing. She had never attempted it, but she guessed Cherubimon did. "Who, though?" She asked. Cherubimon held his head. "Only one I can think of. Our DNA was the only ones capable of doing such a thing." His yellow eyes narrowed as he digested the possibility. "Have you seen Demon lately?" He asked.

Lilithmon froze. He couldn't be implying...no, it was impossible! Demon would never... Those thoughts pressed through Lilithmon's head. Even more Lilithmon gripped her master's digitama. The black orb hummed, sending a message to her brain. It was true, the master had confirmed it.

"Master, why would you allow..." Lilithmon whispered in didn't understand, since he wasn't hearing the voice. However, now he was regretting not listening to Duskmon. In her spot, Tsukaimon delved all this in. It wasn't her place or purpose to comment on anything. She too, was at her master's disposal...or rather...her creator. If Cherubimon told her to cry, then she would. It was sad really. She couldn't feel a thing, but she could understand some emotions, to a certain degree. It was simple, her creator had been betrayed by one who could be considered a brother.

The designs of Monde City could easily be described as low tech. Unlike the Human world-like quality of Comp City lay a stark contrast. Out of the rock, this city looked as if the land was cultivated. All the buildings were of similar material, the only difference being different colors and shapes. Some had spires while others were flat tops. Various lights lit up this inhabitance, both neon and shining, almost like Vegas meets backwoods.

That was what Jun said. Sakura mentioned a distinct smell of the sea. "She's right." Labramon replied, sniffing the air. A salty scent wafted past all their noses. "Well, we are close to the sea. The people here must have built everything from the land around them." Said Sho. Then, he noticed his digimon was drooling. That could only mean one thing. "You're hungry?" He asked.

"Of course she is." Jun muttered. Labramon sniffed the air in front of her. "Something smells so yummy." She said, drooling even more. Her tail wagged and her stomach growled on cue. "Sho-chan, let's stop for something to eat!" She pleaded.

Sho didn't really know what to say, as his digimon pawed against his leg. "Eh, shouldn't we go to this Don Guil's place first?" Sho asked, looking over to Kazuya. Kazuya remembered the letter, pulling it out of his jacket. Sho mouthed a "thank you" as his digimon's attention now shifted to the subject of the letter. Kazuya looked it over. Certainly, there were directions to this mysterious "don" who had summoned them. Sakura noticed how intensely her friend was examining the letter. Then, she saw his face fall in a crashing crescendo.

"What is it?" Sakura asked. Kazuya looked up from the letter with a slightly embarrassed face. "You know, I just realized there are no instructions on this letter." Everybody fell backwards, as per the norm in Asian-related comedic effects. "How did you not notice it!" Jun hotly demanded. "I had to put up with his whining about the heat!" She pointed to Penguinmon.

The little bird looked down, kicking the dirt with his feet. "I'm sorry." He muttered. But in his defense, it had been unbearably hot. "Look, I admit I jumped the gun on this one, but it's not my fault! The guy didn't write any directions, he just left this symbol! See?" Kazuya held out the letter for everyone to see. Just below the signature was an ink mark, a crest depicting what looks like the head of a dinosaur. Oddly enough, the dinosaur had a pair of ears that looked similar to bat wings.

"Funny image." Fairydramon noted. Indeed, it was. "Ahem?" A voice practically purred. The purr was more evident, for standing in the middle of the street was a cat. Or rather, a digimon. It was easy to say that any talking animal they came across was in reality a digimon. Standing atop her two hind legs, she was white in fur. Her ears were tipped with purple and a long tail of the same color. A set of purple striped against said tail went up to the tip in similar fashion of her ears. Shining upon it was a golden ring, loosely fitting, yet remaining bound. Over her long, sharp looking claws, were a pair of yellow gloves.

Digimon: Gatomon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Holy Beast

Attacks: Lightning Paw, Cat's Eye

It was surprising to everybody that Gatomon was a Champion. Most of the champions they encountered were humanoid or large in size. Then again, they remembered Labramon was only a rookie, yet the size of a medium dog when compared to her other rookie friends. Now another separation from a normal Gatomon was the digimon's clothing. Yes, this digimon was wearing clothes. A dress, much like a flapper girl of the twenties, golden earrings pierced her ears, and instead of being blue, her left eye was a green spiral.

"Cat!" Labramon growled. She had not forgotten the ordeal she and Sho had gone through with Persiamon. Her opinion of cats hadn't been strengthened by that encounter. "Labramon, wait!" Sho called after her, but it was too late. His digimon neared Gatomon with teeth bared, her instinctual cliché had taken control. The Gatomon looked on blankly, letting out a sigh. Suddenly, A glow shone from the Gatomon's eyes. Instantly, Labramon skidded to a halt. The same shine was now evident in her own eyes.

Labramon's head lowered to about Gatomon's length. Gatomon looked pleased as the canine dumbly followed her claw. Labramon's face equally matched the definition of her action. Gatomon waved her claw dismissively and Labramon returned to Sho's side. The others were not quite sure what to make of her. In panic, Sho ran his hand over his digimon's eyes.

"Labramon?" He asked. The dog said nothing, keeping her hypnotized look on Gatomon. "What have you done to my digimon!" Sho demanded. The other digimon looked ready to fight (even Penguinmon) at seeing their friend's state."You just made a bad move!" Gazimon spoke threatningly. "Even if you are really attractive." He added. Fairydramon looked rather pissed at that line.

The Gatomon gave a lazy sigh, flicking her tail. "Before any of you get the wrong idea, I merely did that so the slobbering hound wouldn't attack me." That was reasonable enough. With that said, everybody dropped their guard, but only slightly. "I take it you are the humans Don Guil talked about?"

Don Guil? That name nearly brought on a response. "Don't answer." The Gatomon interrupted the possible answer. "There haven't been any humans in the history of the Digital World, so the question really doesn't have a point.""And you are?" Jun asked.

The Gatomon flicked her tail once more. "Gatomon, Don Guil's right hand girl. And apparently, your escort to his family's manor." So, that was the reason the letter didn't have a map. Although, most of the group thought it would be better to have done so, but there was no use in questioning. "Hurry along now, he's waiting." The Gatomon ushered not with even the slightest hint of impatience.

Before they followed, Sho pointed to his still-hypnotized digimon. "Excuse me, what about her?" He asked. Gatomon looked into Labramon's still-dulled eyes. "If you don't mind, I would rather return her to normal after we arrive at the manor."

"But..." Sho protested. "Don't worry, her mind won't be damaged." Gatomon reassured and then they continued. With nothing else to do, they had no choice. Sho stammered as his digimon followed after the cat, chuckling like a dumb lug as she drooled. It always had to happen to him, his shoulders slumped in disappointment. The slump perked up as he felt a tap against his shoulder.

"Hey, cheer up, Sanbara." Jun said, before joining the rest of the group. Through the streets they saw many sights. Digimon of all kinds lined the streets. Businesses of various sorts blinded them with their flashy signs and advertisements. It appeared that the further they entered in, the busier it became. As said before, the city seemed low tech, but now it appeared as if technology was starting to creep into the center. In the non-metaphorical center of the town, a large fountain, one depicting a Seadramon, loomed above. Water gushed from its mouth, forming a pool which obviously went down a drain and repeated the process.

Various smells, probably from restaurants wafted past everybody's nose. Perhaps it was a good thing that Labramon was hypnotized. If she were to smell these aromas, she would lose her mind with hunger. Gatomon led them past all this down one of the paths that formed. Ignoring everything else, their eyes set down on the feline before them, who soon came to a stop.

"We're here." She said. Before them, their eyes fell on an awesome a large gate, sat a manor. The various images they had seen or heard about manors entered their minds and came to life. The colors were not of the shades they were expecting, a myriad of red, white, and black greeted them. "Family colors." Gatomon replied, noticing the party's questioned expression of the color scheme.

She rapped her claw against the gate, which everybody noticed held the same dino symbol as the letter. A few seconds later it opened up, leading into the vast garden. A layered path lay before them, leading up to the front door. "My, you certainly like your way around here, pretty kitty." Gazimon clicked his teeth as he finished.

Fairydramon growled, puffing out some smoke. "What's your problem?" Gazimon asked. Fairydramon turned away with a blush. "Nothing's wrong!" She exclaimed, huffing more flames. Gazimon shrugged, although he did always find Fairydramon cute when she was upset. Gatomon ignored Gazimon's comment and did her job, leading them to the door. Upon the door was the same symbol as the gate. In fact, the knocker was the exact same symbol, too. Taking it, Gatomon did as its name applied. The door opened up and a bright light practically blinded them. It could have been the dimness of the night, but the light soon cleared to show a hanging chandelier with an obtruding shape blocking it. A large Ogremon was clad in a suit complete with sunglasses. He looked much akin to a bodyguard.

The Ogremon looked down intimidatingly upon the assembled group. Their first reaction was to grab their digivices and evolve their digimon. If only their digimon were not frozen like themselves as well. "It's okay, Ogremon." Gatomon reassured. The bodyguard backed off silently, revealing the grand hall. Leading them inside, Gatomon gazed back at Labramon. The glaze vanished from her eyes and they returned to their normal healthy color.

"What?" She asked, noticing the strange surroundings. Her current surroundings were quickly forgotten as she saw Gatomon. "Cat!" She growled, leaping towards the digital cat. Suddenly, a crushing feeling came against her chest, as Ogremon pressed her to the floor. Labramon's eyes bugged out and teared up, as the strong Champion pinned her. "That's enough, Ogremon." A young voice, one that befitted a man in his early twenties called out.

Turning around the ballroom-esque whiteness there was a flight of stairs. Descending it was a red dinosaur. He ran about the size of a ten year old child. The red ended at his belly, which was colored white. Situated in the center of his belly was a black hazard sign. Several more black marks adorned his body, mostly a ring around the tail and several markings around the claws. The face was what drew the others in. The bat ears, and the dino shape told them who it was, Don Guil.

Digimon: Guilmon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Virus

Type: Reptile

Attacks: Pyro Sphere, Rock Breaker

Like the Gatomon, Don Guil wore clothing. Nothing as grand as the cat, though, for he only wore a simple blue coat, which was opened, exposing he hazard symbol. Don Guil looked at Ogremon with his golden eyes, then to Labramon. "Release her." He ordered. Ogremon obeyed, getting off Labramon and returning to his normal spot. Upon her moment of freedom, Labramon whimpered to Sho's side.

"Donny!" Gatomon cried, dashing to her boss's side. Don Guil took one of her paws, kissed it, and then gave her a peck on the cheek. "Gatomon, my dear. I see you have brought my guests safe and sound?" Gatomon nodded, twirling with a smile. "But, of course, just as you told me." Gatomon pecked Don Guil on the cheek. "That's my girl." He said, returning the affection.

"Hey, what about us, lizard boy?" Jun impatiently remarked, tapping her Guil didn't seem offended by the girl's rudeness. In fact, he actually cleared his throat and finally addressed the group. "My apologies. I do hope your travel was not too troublesome."

"Well, actually..." Jun started but was cut off by Sakura's hand covering her mouth. "No, we got here safe and sound!" Sakura smiled. Jun was mumbling something as she tried to free herself. However, she stopped once she noticed Sakura gesturing to Ogremon. The bodyguard looked ready to crack some skulls.

"Please come with me. I have much to discuss with you." Don Guil lead up the stairs to the open door he had just departed from. Gatomon followed close by, keeping her hand against the reptile's. Jun was not the only one who held complaints. The journey from Comp to Monde was long and hard. Yet, they kept silent for the sake of keeping their heads. They walked across red carpet, which was velvet to the touch. Soon, they reached the top of the stairs, entering another room. It appeared to be Don Guil's office, keeping up with the mafia trope. Don Guil's office. The desk and large chair made it obvious. Several Guilmon busts lined the room, possibly depicting various Dons. Just above Don Guil's desk was a large, framed picture. A Guilmon was depicted in it. "My mother. The last Don Guil." Don Guil spoke, as he noticed the drawn eyes to it.

Indeed, it was a female. Like her son, the previous Don wore clothing. A violet dress and a pearl necklace around her neck. A cold look was evident in her gold eyes. There was some odd warmness, though. That warmness radiated from the creature sitting upon her lap, a body with little legs, the feature of many In-training digimon. This In-training looked like a miniature Guilmon. To any who knew of the Guilmon evolutionary line, they could identify it as a Gigimon, the pre-evolved form of Guilmon. The Doness kept a protective claw against the small creature, it was no question who the Gigimon was.

"Please, have a seat." Don Guil waved his claw to the opposite cushion. The humans sat down, whereas the digimon just sat on the floor. Their partners had taken up all the room. A few moments of silence passed as both parties grew comfortable. At least, this applied to Don Guil. The digidestined were still uneasy. As Gatomon slinked to his side, Don Guil knew he might as well cut to the chase.

"Kazuya, Sho, Jun, Chiisi, and Sakura." Don Guil pointed to each as he spoke their names. "To the rest, I already know your race of digimon." He said to the digimon. Surprise crossed everybody's face. "Yes, I already know who you are. I keep tabs on what goes on in the world. Particularly, in times such as this." Said Don Guil. Kazuya kept his mouth shut out of wisdom. Now he felt it right to speak. "Why did you send us this letter?" Kazuya presented the letter to the Don.

"Ah, yes. That is mine. It was the only safe way to contact you." Don Guil explained. "Just cut to the chase, lizard boy!" Jun shot up. Penguinmon flapped his little wings franticly. "Jun!"

"No! I want to know why we had to drag ourselves all over the desert, and fight off all sorts of creeps, only to end up in this rich reptile's place!" Don Guil let out a chuckle at the girl's outburst. "My, such emotion! I am certainly glad I decided to use you."

"Use?" Almost everybody said in unison. And not in surprise...more like offense. They had pussyfooted long enough. Don Guil had called them for a reason and it was about time he divulged that information. "I am certain you know that various families run Directory, mine included. The Guil family has been around since the early days of the Digital World. We've had to compete with the others, but we have made our stance strong. Sometimes firm, sometimes harsh, but that's our way." Don Guil looked up. "Family motto. I find it a bit outdated." He chuckled again but found no one else was laughing, save for Gatomon.

"Well, that all changed when the Fallen Angles came. I'll admit, crime is what runs this continent, but at least we had respect." Don Guil stiffened. "Something those demons don't have. Since they established rule, everything was thrown out of order. The only good thing is that my family is the only one that is still standing."

Forms of disgust crossed a few faces. The statement was a rather morbid one. "I can understand how some of you feel, but in my family's defense we are more honorable than most. Sure, my mother and my ancestors may have been a bit brutal from time to time, but when one is pushed, so be it. I have heard about you all and frankly, I am impressed. With your help, I might just be able to dethrone the Fallen Angels."

"Dethrone?" A question rose amongst them all. A smirk appeared upon the crime boss' face. "With the other families up and dead, the only competition left is the Fallen Angels. I had to gussy up to them just so I wouldn't wind up dead, too. But I won't stand for it any longer, nor for their methods."

"The answer is no!" Kazuya shot up. Don Guil eyed the boy. He wasn't surprised, nor was he offended. Rather, he seemed impressed. "I take it you are the leader, no?" Asked Don Guil. Kazuya instinctively nodded. It was his mantle after all. Standing up from his chair, Don Guil smiled. "I would like a word with you in private, man to man."

Taking the hint, Gatomon opened the door, turning her eyes to the rest of the group. None of them looked ready to leave. Their eyes felt glued to Kazuya. "It's okay." Kazuya reassured everyone, especially Sakura. Again, there was nothing else to do but follow. Fate had to be obeyed, for it had gotten them this far. Gazimon was the only one who stayed, as the door shut behind them.

Silence stood between the two, Kazuya and Don Guil. Gazimon was included but sticking by Kazuya's side, he was practically one. Mostly, it was due to their bond. "Kazuya, I can tell you are a reasonable man." Don Guil at last spoke, shattering the wall of silence. Kazuya still layered it with invisible bricks. Still, he waited for the right moment to talk.

"Isn't there any way to convince you and your friends to help me?" The moment was now. "No. I'm sorry, but I don't want to get my friends and I involved with criminals." Kazuya stated. "Yeah!" Gazimon chimed in.

That statement built up the wall again. Kazuya stood his ground, Gazimon joined in. Don Guil sighed, scratching his nails against the carpet. Momentarily he looked up to the picture of his mother, then to his guests once more. "Yes, I am a criminal. This whole continent is full of them." Don Guil admitted. "I won't sugarcoat the actions of my family, but all I want is to restore order to Directory." Don Guil clasped his claws together, emphasizing a view of the world. "With the other families gone, only mine remains, and everybody knows the humans are trying to overthrown the Fallen Angel's rule, so why not join forces?"

It seemed like a solid reasoning, but Kazuya seemed hardly convinced, well, maybe halfway. Something in the don's eyes shone innocence. He couldn't put his foot on it, but there was hope. Hope was something Kazuya could relate to, seeing as how the digicore of Hope rested within his body.

"Oh, I almost forgot. How rude of me!" Don Guil suddenly said. "I forgot to ask if you needed refreshments." Rubbing the back of his head, the lizard turned red even with his red scales. "Would you like a drink, something to eat, a cigar perhaps?"

"CIGAR!" Gazimon shouted. Kazuya and Don Guil nearly fell over from the suddenness of the spontaneous outburst. "Was it something I said?" Don Guil blinked. His eyes widened as he noticed Gazimon was breathing rather heavily. Up and down, his chest heaved. "You said cigars. You have cigars?" Gazimon asked.

Nervousness crossed Don Guil's face. "Y-yes." He was almost afraid to do so, but he walked over to one of he Guilmon busts. Taking the head, he opened it up and sure enough, there was a switch underneath. Pressing it, a piece of the wall, right behind his chair opened up, revealing a hidden room. Gazimon eagerly followed the don into the room. Just as he entered, he quickly stopped.

"You've got to be kidding me." Said Kazuya. He had not said anything since Gazimon's outburst. Something just had to be said now. Cigars, rows upon rows of boxed cigars lined the walls. Some of them were small, while others were jumbo sized. Gazimon's demented glee resumed, and so did his breathing. His heart drummed against his ribcage. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"My mother was quite the aficionado. I myself never found a taste for these things." Said Don Guil. "I would just give them away, but I don't know anybody who would want all these."

"Don Guil-sama!" Gazimon bowed respectively at Don Guil's feet. "I will do anything you ask if you allow me to smoke these fine smokable delicacies."Kazuya's face turned red with bewildered anger. "Come on! That's the stupidest request I've ever heard!" Gazimon's face turned just as red. "Hey, I'm thinking about us! I mean it's not like we have a choice here!" Gazimon exclaimed.

"What does smoking have to do with beating the Fallen Angels!" Kazuya shouted. For a moment, Gazimon looked as if he was at a loss for words. "Uh, now that I think about it, nothing. But I mean, it's best we get on this guy's good side, you know?" Curiosity struck Kazuya. "What do you mean by that?"

Gazimon ignored Kazuya momentarily to gaze at his brown beauties. "What?" He asked, before returning his attention to his partner. "Oh yeah! Well he did say he was sucking up to the Fallen Angels. Maybe he knows a lot of information we don't."

The rabbit mon had a point. That was mentioned earlier whilst Don Guil was explaining. Kazuya turned to Don Guil for confirmation. "That is true. During my little "dealings" I did obtain a layout of their castle." Don Guil swallowed as he thought. A potential alley, but it was rather a chance. Then again, whose to say Don Guil wouldn't turn them in? After all, he was close to the Fallen Angels. They were trapped either way, so it was best to take Gazimon's advice.

"Damn." Kazuya whispered. Relenting, he took a breath and outstretched his hand. "Do we have to sign anything?" He asked, before Don Guil joined in the handshake. Tilting his head ever so slightly, Don Guil gave Gazimon an approving eye. To him it was loud and clear, "Go ahead, sate yourself."

Taking the cue, Gazimon practically tore into the boxes, ready to indulge himself in his oral fixation. Moments later, the trio exited. The first thing the others saw was Gazimon. Humorously, a large cigar hung out of his mouth, while he puffed on it. In his arms, he carried cigars of various varieties. Kazuya and Don Guil were the next to come. The Don nodded at Gatomon who smiled at her boss. The dd's and their digimon had no idea what was going on until they saw the sheepish look upon their leader's face. Gazimon's smoking was another tell tale sign.

"Guys, we need to talk." Kazuya said. He hoped that Sakura wouldn't get upset. He didn't need the nagging at this moment.

Demon grinned to himself. By now, they should know. Certainly, they would act. It was time to initiate the next part of his plan. "What do you ask of us, Demon-sama?" NeoDevimon asked, bowing. His siblings, Succubimon and Mephistomon bowed as well.

Demon looked ahead in the distance. Far off, he could see it, a beacon in the distance. "Your destination lies in Monde City." The blue gem shone upon his brow. "The humans are there. Deal with them." Turning his back, he looked towards another beacon, this one held no lights. "I have other matters to attend to. Now go!" Demon waved his elongated arm.

Flapping their wings, the remaining Demon Corps took off towards Monde City, bloodlust in their intent. Demon did the same, heading towards his own destination, Fallen Angel castle. It was time he held a discussion with his brethren.

To be continued….

A/N: Okay sorry this was late but I wonder if anybody cares. I have recently had my brush with writers doubt. In fact I almost decided to give up writing forever. Mostly I just saw other stories which are immensely more popular than mine with thousands of reviews and then I wondered if there was a point. So far I have gotten over it to the point where I can continue to write but I still think I am a terrible writer compared to everybody else. Well I hope you enjoyed this regardless of it more than likely being terrible.


	44. Chapter 44

"You did what!" Jun exclaimed the moment Kazuya explained himself.

Rubbing his head, Kazuya meekly replied with a sweat drop.

"He made a very good argument."

Looking back to Don Guil, Jun then changed her view towards Gazimon. The rabbit digimon was chewing on his cigar as if it was candy. The only time he took it out was to exhale smoke.

"AHHHH!" Gazimon sighed. The rabbit never seemed happier. Below him was a large pile he had gathered from the don. Needless to say, he was set for life as far as smoking went.

"Its obvious what drew _him_ _in._" Fairydramon remarked with a bit of disgust.

"Oh Kazuya." Sakura sighed. Earlier, their leader had shown such vigorous passion upon denying the don their services, now...well, they were stuck.

The others sensed the defeat. If their leader had fallen, they went like dominoes. Sho seemed worried, per usual, Labramon licked his hand for reassurance. Chiisi and DemiDevimon seemed to take it in stride. Whatever happened, happened in their case. Penguinmon of course looked nervous as hell, and Jun displayed her displeasure in her usual Jun fashion.

Grabbing Kazuya by the collar of his jacket, she held him close. "Listen Goggleboy! I ain't going to be some lizard's servant!"

Kazuya didn't know what to say to the irate girl. Don Guil apparently did.

"Everyone, hold on please!" The young mon called for peace. "There's no need for fighting, we're all friends here."

"That's a bit of a stretch." DemiDevimon muttered, provoking a slap from Chiisi.

Don Guil chuckled at the bat's forwardness. "I suppose it is."

Don Guil agreed. "Yet, in this town I am the only one you can trust." For most of the group that seemed like a stretch. Especially the way their leader had been drafted, so to speak.

"I know some of you must feel like that is a stretch, but it is the truth." Apparently, Don Guil had them pegged. "The Fallen Angels have much control in this town, yet I am the only one who is vastly untouched." Don Guil explained. "I have no wishes to take over the Digital World, such things are too grandiose for my taste." The lizard admitted. "All I want is to set things back in their proper balance."

"That, and have your family control Directory." Kazuya blurted. Even in his drive-beaten state, he still held some bite.

Don Guil at first was surprised by the statement. That surprise quickly turned into another chuckle. "Okay, I admit that bit is true, but in my defense I am not as brutal as my mother or ancestors were." Don Guil smiled. "It's not like I'm going to coat your feet in cement and drop you in the ocean."

Perhaps that wasn't the best choice of words, for the don noticed his guests looked very concerned about themselves. Sweatdropping, Don Guil replied, "Relax, it was a joke." Nobody found it funny. This needed to be remedied. "Here, just to show a token of my friendship, take these." Reaching into his coat pocket, Don Guil tossed several badges to the group. They were little hazard signs. "Those badges show you are under my protection and they grant free access to Monde's various establishments, particularly restaurants."

That mention brought on a happy wag from Labramon, a hungry happy wag that is. "Can we go, Sho-chan? Please!" Labramon pleaded, pawing at her partner's legs...well, more like crawling on top of him.

"Okay, fine!" Sho blurted out, attempting to calm his digimon down. "A night out doesn't sound so bad." Jun stretched herself. "To be honest, I kind of wanted to check out this town." Apparently, her mood had changed.

"And of course, you have free reign of my home, bar, library...anything." Don Guil added. The mention of library seemed to spark something in Chiisi. DemiDevimon didn't seem to care.

"Well, I'm staying here." Gazimon announced. The rabbit took another puff on his cigar. "I don't see any other reason to go." Fairydramon scoffed at the rabbit. Still she found his display disgusting. Even more so once she noticed the female he was stepping towards.

"Say, are there any other ladies besides yourself in this manor, pretty kitty?" Gazimon asked Gatomon.

The feline digimon waved some of the leaking smoke away. "Just some maids."

Gazimon seemed pleased by that. Fairydramon stared at the scene before her. Why was she upset? She just didn't understand. Why should she care if Gazimon went after other girls? However, she announced this frustration with a loud sigh. This brought on the attention of everyone. Embarrassed at her exclamation, Fairydramon turned to storm off. Since she had free reign of the house, there was nothing wrong with it.

"Fairydramon, what's wrong?" Gazimon asked with urgency. Running down the stairs, he grabbed Fairdramon's arm.

"Let go of me!" She demanded hotly, pulling it away.

The smoke that curled up from her nostrils almost matched the one that curled up from the rabbit's cigar. "Nothing is wrong! So you can just go off and be with your women!" With nothing more to say, Fairydramon stormed off. Both Sakura and Gazimon would have followed after, but they felt it unwise with the dragoness in such a state. At this point they all went their separate ways. Some stayed within while others went out. All in all, Don Guil felt very pleased with himself.

XXX

Demon could feel their presence, Lilithmon and Cherubimon, they were both onlooking from the castle balcony. It hadn't taken him long to reach it, he didn't even need to teleport. "_Demon!_" He heard the mental spike in his brain. It was something they all could share and do. "_What is the meaning of this!_"

Demon descended down, landing just on a rock face. Closing his eyes he began to concentrate, nay willed. Upon his brow, his jewel shone brightly. Quickly he opened them and thrust his elongated claw forward. All around the castle a dome of dark energy formed. It enclosed the castle, barring all from leaving. Inside, he could see their expression, even at the distance he was at. More accurately, he could see Lilithmon's look of dismayed confusion.

"_Why?_"

A mental and soon audible chuckle was the succubi's answer. Both understood, even if no words were spoken after the question.

"So, you finally show your true colors."

Grimly, his delighted expression fell. He had obtained a new seat of power and now somebody had shown up to disrupt that. It wasn't a surprise who had shown up to distract him. In fact, he had expected it. "Duskmon."

On cue, the dark warrior emerged from the ground, a look of deathly seriousness fixed upon him.

XXX

Labramon's heart skipped a few beats as she and Sho walked inside. Seeing as there was nothing for them inside the manor, they decided to go out and explore the town, as much as Labramon quickly disliked the idea. One dislike was the seedyness, particularly the woman. The further in they went, the more open it became. To Sho, it seemed like something out of a fifties gangster film. Okay, maybe not gangster, but it reminded him of a crime-oriented drama. Various digimon girls of questionable reputations flanked the streets. Again, with his romantic luck or rather, lack thereof, they came on to him with various questions and phrases.

"How ya doing, sailor?"

"Looking for a good time?"

"Want to see my data?"

Those were some of the questions asked, but before he could answer, or if he could break his flustered state, Labramon escorted her partner away, mostly out of jealousy. Not that Sho was looking for any form of female companionship. As far as Labramon was concerned, she was the only female companion for Sho.

"No hussies." As she put it. Those were secondary concerns for the canine. What drove her was the smell. A plan had been set forth, and that plan was food. The smell that she smelt the very moment they stepped foot in this town. It only got stronger as they stood in front of the restaurant.

"All You Can Eat." The name of the place wasn't important to Labramon, only those words. At first, she didn't know what it meant, confusedly arfing at the phrase. Luckily, Sho was able to explain it to her. Instantly, he regretted it. A river of saliva flowed down her muzzle. Labramon practically bolted inside.

"Labramon wait!" Sho called after her.

The smell was at its strongest as Labramon pranced inside.

"OHBOYOHBOYOHBOY!" She chanted, hopping up and down.

"Welcome." A voice greeted. Looking up, they saw a Floramon walking towards them.

Sho nearly stopped, it was almost like he was reliving the whole Persiamon experience. Yet this Floramon had a male voice. Odd, but apparently not all digimon were gender specific. "Oh hi, we have these." Sho flashed the hazard badge that Don Guil presented them with.

The Floramon seemed to back away a bit, but regained his composure."Right this way, sir and madam." The Floramon ushered the two inside. Both of them stopped, Sho out of shock and Labramon in pure delight. Before them was food. Food from every corner of the globe, it seemed. Burgers, hot dogs, pasta, bread, soup, vegetables, fruit, cheese, sandwiches, pizza, the list went on and that was only half, they hadn't even touched the dessert section.

Labramon sniffed. "It's wonderful." A tear actually fell from Labramon's eye. Sho didn't know what to say, particularly when Labramon charged with a loud cry of "Yahoo!" The dog became an eating machine, working her way through the various sections.

Sweatdropping, Sho turned to the Floramon and asked, "This is free, right?"

Crying tears of his own, the Floramon replied. "Unfortunately, with the badge, yes." At least he didn't have to pay. Sho couldn't help but feel sorry for the Floramon, especially as Labramon had just cleaned out the Italian section.

XXX

Chiisi's eye shone at the depository of knowledge that lay before him. Maybe he felt so excited due to Knowledge being one of his traits. The other he still had ill feelings about. Various titles, some he had a feeling were of Earth origin. How they ended up here of all places he didn't know.

DemiDevimon let out a bored yawn. "Any reason we're here?" He asked. "I know you're bored, but where else are you going to go?" Chiisi understood his partner right away. The bat thought for a moment before shrugging it off. His partner did have a point, but he didn't like this situation one bit. How these paper filled hardbacks could be considered fun was beyond him. Yet Chiisi and Sakura joined in the browsing.

"Wow, hard to believe all of this ended up here." Sakura commented. The earlier guesses of earth origins were correct, for the cousins found various titles that they had seen in their local library.

"You think Don Guil has read all of these?" Chiisi asked.

"Only a few." A voice answered. Sakura let out a surprised gasp as she suddenly noticed a small creature, obviously a digimon, but one of a different design, standing right next to her. Its skin was white with webbed feet. With the gray colored bill its appearance was similar to that of a duck. Around its waist it held a pink belt.

Digimon: Bokomon

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Mutant

Attacks: Wild Escape Dash, Book of Knowledge

"Peculiar attack names." Chiisi muttered out loud.

DemiDevimon inched closer to the analyzer screen." Peculiar? Plain weak if you ask me." The bat commented. "I mean come on! Escaping? Book of Knowledge? Who fights like that?" A tapping foot responded to the action. Bokomon held a visible vein twitch at the remark. "Some of us actually are better suited for scholar duties." He said.

Sakura shot Chiisi a glance. The boy knew it as the reprimanding look she often reserved for Kazuya. "I'm sorry." He bowed in apology. Remembering he wasn't the only one at fault, he took a moment to give DemiDevimon a little slap. Reluctantly, the little bat bowed as well.

"It's quite all right." The Bokomon reassured. "You have much better manners than that Prairiemon assistant I used to have."

This brought on a familiar tone with the others. "Prairiemon?" Sakura inquired.

"Yes, now she was a complainer, couldn't count on her for anything." Bokomon fumed at the memories. "Then, she goes off and gets a new job on File Island without so mush as a weeks notice."

Everybody knew whom the Bokomon was talking about. "Well anyway, I am the keeper of the Guil family's library," The Bokomon introduced. "Its been that way for several generations."

"Several generations?" Sakura exclaimed, yet kept her tone low so as to not indicate rudeness.

Bokomon nodded, not offended in the least. "Although despite the fact the current Don was nothing but a spoiled brat growing up, he is more honorable than past ones." That detail had been mentioned several times in the past. Perhaps it was true, as the Don's "threats" had been subtle, not outright as most digimon with less than reputable reputations had done.

"Say, if you've been around that long you must know alot in these books." Sakura noted.

"Why, of course!" Bokomon responded. "When I'm not categorizing, I read." Chiisi could relate. Often he would spend time in the library at recess never bothering to play with the other children. Back then, he had not known the exact reason, only that he was different from the other children in some way. The way they avoided him told him so. Sure his Aunt and Uncle had tried to get him to interact with kids his age, but those all ended in failure. Now he knew, deep down his blood rejected them.

"Do you know about the World of Darkness?" Chiisi suddenly asked.

The question brought on looks from both DemiDevimon and Sakura. They knew how ill Chiisi felt about such a subject. Why would he bring it up? They wondered. Bokomon hardly looked shocked. Instead, he pulled out a book from his pink belt. Hammer space obviously, for it was too large to fit in such a small space. Flipping through the pages, Bokomon placed his finger on a particular entry.

"Ah yes, the World of Darkness." Bokomon read some lines before he continued. "A dark foreboding place, it is commonly believed to be the afterlife where evil digimon reside." DemiDevimon had that information etched in his brain. All dark digimon did. "Some say it has existed since before the Digital World." That was a new bit of information. "Once the Digital World was formed, the dark beings that resided there initially took on forms as they absorbed data."

Chiisi shuddered. If they weren't always digimon, then what were they? Gods? Demons? Great Old Ones? None of those theories was making him feel any better. "On occasion, a gate to the world opens up, but there's really nothing more on that." Bokomon closed the book. "I have more files on the subject. Would you care for me to bring them?"

Chisii shook his head. He had heard enough. Anything else would only make him feel worse. "Chiisi?" Sakura asked, sensing her cousin's emotions. "I need to be alone." Chiisi immediately cut. The boy walked away, deep into the recesses of the library. "Is he alright?" Bokomon merely nodded, but she knew the truth. Best deciding to leave Chiisi alone, she decided to check up on Fairydramon. Two people she cared about seemed upset and that didn't sit well with her.

XXX

Night life was boring. Jun quickly found that out as she walked the city streets. Penguinmon kept close to her out of fear for his surroundings. Several female digimon of the busty variety came up to him offering "favors", whatever those were. Jun kept him close as she apparently knew, mentioning her mother's line of work.

"What a real drag this place is, I was hoping there would be some excitement." Jun sighed. For a city that was run by a crime lord, she had hoped for some excitement. But that wasn't to be found. So she busied herself with another task, finding Sho. He and Labramon had left before them and frankly Jun was curious. Why she was curious, even she didn't know. In fact, she could have gone back to the manor, but instead she was looking for a boy she had long despised. Thinking hard, she thought that maybe she hadn't hated Sho, he had been her stress relief. However, she had quickly found that changing with time.

"Jun, where are we going?" Penguinmon asked. His feathers shook as he glanced around the various strange digimon. This only made him waddle closer to Jun. Frankly, he had doubts about his Rookie form's strength, hence why he always remained near Jun when he wasn't in his larger forms. A faint beeping rang out as he noticed Jun was fiddling away on her digivice.

"Ah ha! There he is!" Upon Jun's screen, an orange dot shown. Looking up from it, it didn't surprise her where it was coming from. With Labramon's appetite it was obvious. "All you can eat, huh?" Jun remarked. Penguinmon blinked at the statement. Silently, he admitted eating did fit well with Labramon. The both of them entered the restaurant. They expected many voices as "all you can eat" drew in crowds. The moment they stepped inside, they heard a faint sob. Looking over, they saw a Floramon.

"Uh hello?" Asked Jun.

The Floramon didn't respond, it merely continued sobbing. "I'm ruined!" Jut then, a sharp sound hit their ears.

"!" It was so loud the whole room shook.

"That sounded scary!" Penguinmon announced, grabbing a hold of Jun's leg. Jun didn't bother to push him off. Curous, she ignored the wilting flower and leapt inside. What she and her digimon saw made her freeze. "Whoa!" She exclaimed. "Ditto!" Penguinmon chimed in.

In the middle of the room laid a great big sandy gold ball. But they knew it wasn't a ball, but a belly...an engorged belly. It was so large and round that it looked like a good rendition of a beached whale. Sticking out from under it was a curled pink tail, a tail that was wagging profusely.

"Oh, hey Jun." A familiar voice spoke up. Looking at a nearby table and following the digivice signal, she could see it was Sho.

"Sanbara? Is that?"Jun began to ask.

"Mmmm hmmm." Sho sighed as he knelt further back into his chair. He looked rather embarrassed. Jun and Penguinmon noticed the surrounding area was decimated. Every food container was emptied, not a single speck of food remained. Walking around the large mass, which quivered from another belch, they met the very contented face of Labramon. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as a drunken smile was plastered on her face.

"HIC!" Labramon hiccupped. "Scuse me." Labramon covered her mouth with one paw and patted what she could with her other.

"Damn!" Jun exclaimed. "I knew the mutt could eat alot, but this much!" Sho wasn't that surprised. He half expected it. His digimon became a gluttonous blur as she devoured everything in sight. All the other customers had run away in fright at the mass overeating. Sho didn't blame them. If Labramon wasn't connected to him he would have run away long ago.

"Well, come on." Jun suddenly said.

"Huh?" Sho looked over to see Penguinmon struggling to nudge Labramon, who was too inebriated with food to care. Jun stood at the side of Labramon's belly. "I'm going to need some help if we're going to roll this fat ass out of here."

Sho took the idea in surprise. Roll her out? The idea sounded entirely cartoony and silly. But what other choice did they have? Rising from his seat, he joined Jun and Penguinmon side by side. On three they managed to nudge Labramon into a roll. The canine didn't care, merely giggling at the sudden movement. The Floramon manager was still sobbing as they left. Sho gave an apology as he exited. Thank goodness these passes barred him from payment. He guessed not even his family's vast fortune would be able to cover it. That could have been a gross exaggeration on his part. In her dulled mind, Labramon decided this was the best night of her life. Only being with Sho would make it better.

XXX

Sakura couldn't believe the direction she was following. When she asked the manor staff if they had seen a Fairydramon, they had pointed her in an odd direction. Fairydramon had always been the reasonable one. Save for that incident in Toy Town (which was brought on by a sugar induced madness) she seemed like a bastion of seriousness. "Warrior" would be another well fitting term for her. Out of all their digimon, Fairydramon appeared to be more of a warrior. Her cutesy appearance belied a strong fact, she was strong emotionally as well, save for the times she lost her temper.

This was the last place she would expect her digimon to be. Sitting in a bar, drinking. Honest to goodness that's what she was doing. This bar served as a private drinking hole to all of the manor's staff. Guests were allowed as well, apparently. "Fairydramon!" Sakura exclaimed.

The digimon shook her shoulder, forcefully. Turning her attention from her wine glass, she looked up at her partner with slightly glazed eyes. "Oh hell-hello Sakura." Said Fairydramon, before returning to her drink. In front of them stood an Agumon bartender who merely refilled the dragon's drink whenever he was asked.

"Fairydramon!" Sakura called again. This made her freeze halfway before the next gulp of the intoxicating grape could slide down her throat. "What are you doing here?" She asked more softly. Again her digimon returned to her half-filled glass. Seeing she wasn't gaining any attention, she grabbed hold of her scaly shoulders. This at last provoked the hybrid dragon to halt her drinking.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked again. Fairydramon swayed slightly as she looked up at her partner. "Getting away from him." She declared defiantly. "Him?"

Fairydramon turned away. "You know, the stupid rabbit." She finished the wine in one gulp. The bartender readied to refill, but Fairydramon waved a claw to wait.

"You mean Gazimon?" Sakura asked. Of course she meant Gazimon. What other rabbit did Fairydramon hold disdain for?

"Look I know you get upset when he does "that" to you." Sakura couldn't find a better word besides "that". "But I don't think it qualifies as a reason to get drunk."

Fairydramon swirled around, almost falling off in the process. "Technically, I'm drunk, not tipsy." Fairydramon realized her folly in speech. "I mean! Tipsy, not drunk." Her body shook again, as she gave an audible belch or hiccup.

Sakura hardly looked convinced at the statement. Fairydramon could see her partner wanted a solid reason. Quite honestly she knew this was out of character for her, but Gazimon was the sole reason for it. "Seeing him flirt with that cat just stirred something in me." Fairydramon admitted. "I know I shouldn't care, but it jut made me so….I don't know, some emotion I suppose."

It wasn't hard to see what was going on, at least for Sakura. "I think that emotion is jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Fairydramon anwered. "Why would I be jealous?"

A slight smile played upon the human girl's face. "Well, maybe despite all the flirting he's done, Gazimon is starting to grow on you." Sakura didn't phrase it as a question. After a moment of consideration, Fairydramon started to wonder if perhaps it was true. Sure enough, she hated him once they met. Yet as they went along they seemed to be forced to be together. Like glue they stuck, Toy Town was such an example. Then she hadn't minded being with him, mostly due to the fact she was sugar high. Yet following that there was the sewers. When he fell into the water, she had panicked and feared for his life. That is until she discovered it was a ploy to kiss her. She had been so angry then, but silently she was glad he was okay.

Could it be that she was feeling something towards him? "I need some fresh air." Said Fairydramon, a tiny slur lacing her speech. Sakura caught her digimon just as she slid off the seat. Indeed, she was merely tipsy and not full out drunk. So the two left and the bartender returned to his duties. He had heard everything but whatever transpired in the bar stayed with the bartender.

XXX

"Sometimes I don't get what's wrong with that girl." Gazimon said, exhaling more cigar smoke. It hung in the air in a haze. With Gazimon's gray fur, the smoke perfectly matched. Kazuya waved some of the passing smoke away. Gazimon was apparently set on the oral fixation matter. Much to his and more than likely everybody else's chagrin.

"I mean, I just don't understand what her problem is." Gazimon took another drag and exhaled. The rabbit referenced how disgruntled Fairydramon had been earlier. It was the very moment he flirted with Gatomon. Kazuya may have not been an expert on love, but he understood seeing as he spent and observed every bit of his digimon's tendencies. It hadn't hit him before, as Fairydramon reacted with annoyance at the display of pervertedness, that had become expected. Kazuya had an inkling as to why the sudden shift in reaction. Indeed, her annoyance seemed different from past ones.

"You know this is probably a shot in the dark, but maybe...just maybe..." Kazuya thought about what he was about to say. "Fairydramon is starting to like you?"

Gazimon froze as his mind processed the new information, or rather, theory. "YES!" Gazimon exclaimed, jumping up in the air. He repeated the word loudly for anyone to hear.

Laughing proudly, he took another drag on his cigar before continuing. "Finally! I just knew my charms would reach her." Placing his hands behind his head, he mused, as visions danced in his head. "I can picture it now. Big house in the country, kids running around, it's going to be great."

Kazuya let out a long drawn sigh.

"What's wrong with you now?" Gazimon asked, annoyed at the sour moods.

"Don't you get it? She was jealous."

Gazimon blinked in surprise. "She got angry the moment you flirted with the cat." That only made Gazimon happier, as it confirmed her growing feelings to him. He was about to blow another heart shaped smoke ring when another question hit him.

"Why didn't she just say something?"

Kazuya scratched his head. "Girls are tricky, I know from experience. If I were you, I would just spill it out to her."

"Isn't that what I have been doing?" Asked Gazimon.

Narrowing his eyes, Kazuya answered. "There's a clear difference to what you have been doing." Gazimon still didn't understand. "Whatever. I'm off to find my Fairydramon-chan and admit to her my heart's depth." The rabbit declared, dramatically. He just knew relaxing in the lounge would clear his head. After all, it was a finely furnished room for guests. Leaping from the chair, cigar still toting in his mouth, he turned to leave. Then another question hit him.

"Why haven't you told Sakura yet?"

Kazuya now blinked as his partner had blinked before. "What?"

"I mean, it's completely obvious you and her have something going on." Gazimon slyly remarked.

A flush brightened Kazuya's face. "WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!" He suddenly exclaimed, surprising himself at the volume of his voice. Gazimon tsked. "You shouldn't hold your feelings in, partner. Tell her how you feel." Slinking off, Gazimon vanished into the hallway.

Now alone, Kazuya didn't follow after his digimon. His own mind was in a turmoil filled mess. They were just friends, nothing more. That's what he kept telling himself. He and Sakura had been that way since early childhood. Anything else would be risky and possibly ruin their friendship. When she had a boyfriend, he hadn't minded. In fact, he felt happy for her, that is until he cheated on her. Then he had been so angry, angry to the point he beat the living crap out of the ex. It had earned him detention, but he felt good. Sakura was a lovely girl, so kind and pure. She deserved happiness in her life. In his mind he could picture her, watching her develop as she grew. That long blonde hair, those legs, and trim body. Her personality was what shone. Of course, she wouldn't admit herself as that. Mary Sue was often what Jun called her and Sakura wanted to avoid that distinction as much as possible.

"_Wait, why am I thinking like this?_" Kazuya thought to himself. These descriptions of perfection were really only his view. Yet why? He asked himself. Could Gazimon be right? Those thoughts he hastily cast aside. Maybe he did need to talk to her.

XXX

Don Guil looked up at the looming picture of his mother, the former Don Guil, ruthless, feared and above all, very influential. Nobody dared cross her. If you did, you were liable to wind up at the bottom of a river. Yet that wasn't the entirety of her character. An affectionate claw ran down over the Gigimon in her lap, himself. His mother had often brought him along on her little "meetings". She wanted him to be prepared for his future role. Plenty of death he had seen in his childhood. One would expect it to be traumatic but he didn't think so. There were the private moments where his mother showed a different side.

She loved him, he knew that. Besides the gifts that she showered her child with, she bestowed motherly advice, as well. Then of course, there were other moments, such as comforting him during a night terror. "Am I making you proud?" He asked. No response came from the painting...the dead couldn't talk.

"Are you doubting yourself again, Donny?" A voice purred. Gatomon wrapped her arms around her boss, lovingly rubbing up against him. Don Guil accepted the display. After all, she was his girl, the Guil line had to be continued and she would be the womon to ensure that.

"I feel these kids are what I need, but I just don't know if it's going to work." Don Guil initially believed his plan to be foolproof.

1. Recruit the Digidestined.

2. Have them overthrow the Fallen Angels

3. Reinstate his family as the rulers of Directory

4. Peace and happiness, oh yeah

There were always lingering doubts in the back of his mind. He had tried to form a more noble reputation to distinguish himself from his ancestors. Was that enough? He had seen enough violence in his mother's time that he held some distaste towards it. Once more he felt the touch of his assistant, nay lover. She was always there, reassuring him. Deep in his heart, he knew her words were true.

Before he could reciprocate her affections, a loud explosion rocked their feet. Outside the door, there was instant commotion as the sounds of the bodyguards doing their job followed. Following that was silence. Most people of high society and low reputations, would have simply fled via an escape route. Don Guil was vastly different from other crime bosses. Immediately he rushed out, Gatomon falling behind, fearful of what may happen to him. The moment they exited, dust clouded their visions. The front door was blown open. Underneath the debris, they could make out the remains of crushed sunglasses along with the floating data vestiges.

Stepping inside, two unknown digimon looked up at the Don. "Where are they?" NeoDevimon was quick to the point. Behind him, Succubimon silently observed the décor with disgust. Don Guil assessed his situation. His plan had hit an unexpected turn. Demon's men, he was certain. "I'm going to need some new security." That was his only response, the only thing he could think of.

To Be Continued….

A/N This chapter had no action but I suppose that shows I am no good at this. Frankly from my lack of reviews I think it means this story as a whole is bad. In fact I am feeling very embarrassed of this story as a whole. I'm just going through ha depressive spell and I just don't think this story is as good as the other stories on this site. Especially since they have thousands of reviews and are immensely more popular.


	45. Chapter 45

They could see each other at the opposing ends of the hall. Kazuya and Sakura didn't know what to say to each other. Both could sense emotions stepping towards them. The same applied to their digimon, albeit slightly staggered. Gazimon looked normal save for the slightly mischievous look in his eye and his still-lit cigar. For Fairydramon, her droopy eyes and tad of a sway said something was up. Kazuya himself was starting to wonder what was up with the dragon.

"_Is she?_" Kazuya thought for a moment. "_Nah!_" He cast that thought aside. That possibility came again as Fairydramon suddenly let out a flame burp. Perhaps she wasn't entirely on the drink as she noticed and covered her mouth.

"Hey babe, what's up!" Gazimon greeted, 's face flushed red, but perhaps it wasn't just from anger. She turned her head away, slightly.

"Oh, come on. Don't be that way. I know how you really feel." Gazimon slyly added.

"Eshcuse me?" Fairydramon asked, still unable to shake off the evident slur.

Gazimon's smirk grew large, scarring across his lips, as he took a drag on his stogie. "I know you think I'm a hunk of digital flesh and want to make out with me." Gazimon exhaled a puff. "So why don't we just skip the formalities and just get on with it?"

Gazimon puckered up ready to receive a kiss. However, it wasn't a kiss that greeted his face. He suddenly flew clear across the room. His cigar fell to the floor, scattering a few ashes. His furry gray face held a bright red claw mark underneath it.

"Ash if I ever want to to do that!" Fairydramon declared, pointing a claw to the air. Kazuya immediately went to pick up his partner. Gazimon looked fine for the most part.

"That went well, I think." Said Gazimon, as he was helped to his feet. "When I said 'admit your feelings' I didn't mean all at once." Kazuya chided, tapping his finger against his digimon's forehead.

Gazimon looked up with a proud smirk and replied. "I'm just an emotional guy!" His joke only garnered a face fault from his partner. Gazimon chuckled a bit before Kazuya abruptly let him go, causing him to hit his head upon the floor.

Laughing a bit, Kazuya waved. "Sorry about that, girls." Kazuya nervously apologized. Even at the distance they were standing, Sakura heard the bit about "having a talk".

"What exactly did you mean by 'talk'?" Sakura spoke in a slight scold. This only made Kazuya feel even more nervous.

"Uh...that is to say...I just...um..." Kazuya couldn't get the words out of his mouth. Right about now, he could have used a distraction. The loud, distant explosion served as an acceptable one.

"What was that!" Sakura asked with urgency. The answer of course was danger. It didn't need to be spoken, as whenever there was an explosion, that usually meant an evil digimon was attacking.

"Duty calls, I suppose." Kazuya announced, holding up his digivice. "You think the boozer and the cigar hound are up to it?"

It was Sakura's turn to turn red. "Just what do you mean by that! Fairydramon is only tipsy, hardly enough to be qualified as a drunk!" Fairydramon then let out a small hiccup. Sakura sweat-dropped at that. "Let's just go."

The four of them ran towards the direction of the foyer. Before he left however, Gazimon grabbed his cigar. He felt incomplete without it. Emotions would have to be put on hold for the time being, at least emotions of love. Danger served not just a distraction from embarrassing situations, but also for personal matters of the heart.

XXX

He could hear them whispering. It was just like Driver City all over again. Labramon making a pig of herself, the people commenting, and himself embarrassed. Yep, they were all there. But he supposed a teenage boy rolling his bloated digimon around would be hard not to notice.

"Hey Sanbara?" The only difference was that she was there...Jun. She along with Penguinmon, helped him cart his portly digimon off. Labramon who normally objected to Jun's presence, didn't seem to care in her dopey condition. The only sound she made was an occasional burp or hiccup. Other then that, she seemed perfectly oblivious to her surroundings.

"Yeah?" Sho responded.

"You alright?" Jun asked. That wasn't very hard to answer, and Sho was a very honest person. "

Do I really look bad?" He asked.

Jun gave a short laugh. "It's painted all over your face."

He couldn't help but smile. That was odd, himself smiling around Jun. In the past, Jun would always fill him with dread. His smiles fading into a crashing crescendo of frowns. Following that was mostly physical pain. It seemed the adults could do nothing for suspensions and detention didn't deter the girl. Jun didn't even seem to care for school, it seemed to be at the lowest of her lists. Something had changed, now he actually felt comfortable around the girl and to be honest, she wasn't that bad of a looker.

Wait a minute! Did he just imply she was cute! Sho blushed immediately at his thoughts. Okay, this was now getting officially weird. Now a part of him clung to a question, so he went ahead. Raging hormones were the ones to thank.

"Uh Jun?"

"Yeah?" They continued to roll. "Why exactly did you-" Suddenly, the rolling stopped. It wasn't either of the two humans, but Penguinmon instead.

"What's the holdup?" Jun impatiently asked. The little bird was shaking in his feathers. Penguinmon being nervous wasn't so unusual, but something about the way he froze implied something terrible. "Something bad is coming." He managed to speak in a clear sentence, despite his nervousness.

Labramon managed to stir. "URP!" Belching, she turned her head slightly, noting an oncoming figure. Indeed, in the sky, something rose high, then descended like a comet. In a crash, dirt upturned as a large towering figure impacted upon the ground.

"What the heck is that!" Sho exclaimed. "Ditto! Only I'd had said 'hell'!" Jun likewise exclaimed.

Penguinmon clung to her leg, his only form of defense in his frightened mind. Labramon just lay there. "HIC!" The crowds scattered, turned away from the bloated hound and fleeing from the terror that had just landed. Goat horns and soulless eyes stared down at them.

Digimon: Mephistomon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Fallen Angel

Attacks: Black Sabbath, Dark Cloud

That was what the Digimon analyzers read. They had just arrived and already they were in trouble. Mephistomon had his orders. The digidestined were before him, two of them at least. His brain did the math.

XXX

Don Guil was strangely clam about this evening's intrusion. In fact, a part of him had expected this. He didn't know if Demon finally cracked down on him, or maybe the Demon lord ordered this without reason.

"So, what brings you to my home?" He casually asked. Gatomon couldn't believe her boss's words. Then again, he was always so calm and composed no matter what the situation. That was one of the many reason she loved him. The others were a mixture of personality quirks, drives, and of course loving. Oh yes, the loving was a plus.

The two intruders looked over at the Don. They had already stated their purpose, but apparently they would need to say it twice. "I would think it is fairly obvious why we are here." NeoDevimon stated.

"We know you're hiding the Digidestined." Succubimon added. "Bring them out, now!"

Don Guil shrugged. "I wouldn't say 'hiding them' my friends. No need to get violent." To the two lesser demons it looked as if the creature was trying to calm them down. It was both insulting and demeaning to the pair. They had their orders and wouldn't be talked down by a lesser-leveled digimon. The siblings had been ordered to eliminate any that got in their way. Now was a time to demonstrate that authority.

"Hold it right there!" The pair turned at the cliché sounding command. An unfamiliar scent drew past them, or rather, a feeling. It was an overwhelming aura of light and purity. It wasn't just pure light, but some sensation of goodness. As for the scent itself, they concluded that it could only be one thing.

"Humans."

Kazuya and Sakura observed the new digimon. They were evil, at least from the way that Gazimon and Fairydramon were standing. Sakura as well could sense the overwhelming darkness flowing from them. "They feel just like the digimon back at Comp City." Sakura noted. "What?" Kazuya responded.

Despite the cigar smoke, Gazimon could smell something. "Yeah, he has the same scent as that Phelesmon jerk." Fairydramon didn't say anything, yet her tipsy eye seemed to pick something out of the pair. Particularly, she noticed that Gazimon was ogling the scantily clad mon, something inside her started to unravel, like an old rope.

Digimon: NeoDevimon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Fallen Angel

Attacks: Guilty Claw, Deep Sorrow, Stun Claw

Digimon: Succubimon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Fallen Angel

Attacks: Dark Seduction, Temptress Nail, Entice Viper

Well, they were right about the dark part. The fact that Don Guils' front door was broken down pretty much said everything. "In the name of Demon-sama, we, the Demon corps, shall eliminate your existence!" NeoDevimon declared, brandishing his claws. Yep, that said everything.

Yawning, Don Guil merely said. "You might as well take the fight outside. I'm going to have to get a new door, anyway."

XXX

"Deadly Gaze!" Beams of red plasma streamed forth across the dead field. Duskmon's eyes were ablaze as he emitted his attack. Demon hardly retaliated, the beams were too fast to dodge. They streamed against his skin, burning it like fire. It actually hurt, surprisingly enough. It did make sense to a certain degree, Duskmon's strength increased in the darkness and that particular element was present in the air, particularly around the master's presence.

"_The Master._" Demon thought. That name wouldn't apply. He had only used it in his farce as a loyal servant. There was nothing he could have done then. His power compared to his fellow Fallen Angels was great, or that was his assumptions. Cherubimon and Lilithmon had their own merits, if they ganged up on him, there was no telling what the outcome would be. Instead of risking it, he had waited and planned. Now, he had the power, and the time was right to act. He felt another burn as Duskmon brandished his blades and charged, the aftereffects of his "lunar plasma" attack.

"Why?" Duskmon demanded. Demon took the strikes. He waited until the digimon stepped back a certain distance. There wasn't even a scratch upon his chest. Duskmon seemed to notice it too, but apparently wasn't disturbed by it. "I'll ask you again, Demon." Duskmon spat. "Why did you betray the master?"

The smallest hint of a grin edged on Demon's face. "The master granted you power, why do you spit in his charity?"

Demon at last broke into a laugh. "Why!" An overwhelming feeling blew forth. It set Duskmon on edge. It couldn't be...but it was.

"This darkness." Duskmon stated.

"Yes, this is the very power of Dagomon's ocean!" The air began to heat up. The darkness was increasing Demon's strength. Demon felt himself ready to burst. Embers began to flicker in his hand and with a cry he unleashed the heat.

"Evil Inferno!" The flames erupted from his hand, engulfing and surrounding Duskmon on all sides.

XXX

"**Evolve!**" The cries were unified into one. Outside the manor, the two members of the Demon Corps emerged outside. In a flash of light, two figures also emerged. One was Genkimon, in his mouth he still clamped down on his cigar. Tiamon was next, her movements still wobbly from the lasting effects of the alcohol.

"Tia-Tiamat Fire!" Tiamon stuttered in her pronunciation as she breathed a fireball at her opponent with little to no difficulty. Genkimon threw several punches at NeoDevimon who merely dodged, as did his sister. Kazuya and Sakura knew this wouldn't be in their favor. From the analyzers, these two were Ultimates, so it wouldn't make much sense to fight with a weaker leveled digimon. Kazuya boldly held up his digivice, Sakura on the other hand...

"What's the matter?" Kazuya asked.

Glancing over uncertainly at Tiamon, Sakura answered, "I'm not sure, she just drank." But in the end she made up her mind.

"**Genkimon! Super evolve!**"

"**Tiamon! Super evolve!**"

Bright orange and magenta (or maybe rose) colored lights illuminated the night. If any digimon happened to walk by, they would probably find it gorgeous. Inside them, were the shifting forms of two Champion digimon.

"**NeoGenkimon!**"

"**RegalTiamon!**"

They each stood the same as before...body-wise, anyway. NeoGenkimon's cigar was still held in his hand and RegalTiamon still wobbled a bit.

NeoDevimon scoffed. If his face were able to be seen, he would most assuredly be smirking. "Evolving higher won't solve anything."

Succubimon struck an indignant pose. "You'll never defeat us."

NeoGenkimon drew on his cigar, blowing out the smoke in a thick stream. "Yeah, yeah. Your "brothers" had the same train of thought." Taking one more drag, NeoGenkimon blew out a cloud. Mostly, he was just trying to show off. "But what happened to them? Oh yeah, they're dead!" That comment alone seemed to rile NeoDevimon. "Our brothers were warriors who fought to the bitter end! I shall avenge them with your blood and data!"

"Yeah, yeah." NeoGenkimon responded in his usual fashion, a fashion that Kazuya was quick to remark upon. "Don't get cocky!" This time, NeoGenkimon would take those words to heart. He remembered what happened last time, and he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

XXX

Demon laughed boastfully as the flames surrounded Duskmon. Although useful as a spy, Duskmon was one of the many obstacles in his path of domination. He always sensed it would come to this, and he was right. Now it was done. The powers of darkness had boosted his strength. It could be felt even from the still burning flames.

"**Slide evolution!**"

That voice! It couldn't be! The flames parted away as a shape wrapped in data emerged. The humanoid figure formed into a more bestial look. The emergence of feathery wings signified the end of the evolution.

"**Velgemon!**"

This was the first time Demon had seen this form. Slide evolution was something he had only heard of. Once a digimon evolved, they were forever stuck in that form. Slide evolution provided an easy way around that. Duskmon was one of those few. For some reason, he had refrained from using that ability, let alone demonstrating it. Cherubimon had been most disappointed as his scientific mind was greatly interested in that particular ability.

"You're a fool, Demon!" Velgemon screeched, a stark contrast to the calm voice of Duskmon. "Harnessing Dagomon's ocean will be your undoing!"

Warning him? Demon would have found this amusing, except nobody chided him. His wrath now grew to a zenith and he struck.

XXX

Sho reached for his digivice in fear, but he could never seem to grab it. Penguinmon likewise was shaking in his feathers. Jun on the other hand wasn't so frightened. After all, it was nothing but a giant goat. What was so scary about a giant goat? Okay, maybe it _was_ scary, since the goat had wings, sharp-looking horns, and an ominous-looking pentagram. "Come on, you two. Grow some balls!" Holding up her digivice, she practically slammed it on her digimon. Penguinmon didn't really have a choice in the matter.

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

Instantly, his feathers turned a dark, fiery black. Mephistomon silently noted the irony of a penguin now being able to fly. It was a vast change, but he didn't hold any fear, for it was only a champion. In this odd twist of transformation-defying physics, Mephistomon noticed a ball at his hooves. Then he realized it wasn't a ball, but a bloated Labramon, very bloated indeed. Seeing the bird was ready to attack, Mephistomon had an idea. With a swift kick, he sent the Labramon flying.

"Black Saberrrrrrrrrr!" Saberdramon squawked, the added squawk was for the impact Labramon made upon his chest. Despite the fact they were still a great difference in size, her added bulk and the velocity of the kick caused a visible dent. In other words, it hurt.

"Ow!" Saberdramon whined. The Labramon ball bounced a few times before stopping near Sho. Her glazed eyes glanced at Sho. "Was going on?" She asked, tiredly. At that moment, Jun felt she was surrounded by useless idiots. "Champion level really became pointless after Ultimate." So therefore, it was time to upgrade. A green light surrounded the swirly eyed Saberdramon. Soon, he found himself compelled to announce, "**Saberdramon! Super evolve!**" The green light seemed to fade into Saberdramon's skin as the evolution completed. "**Parrotmon!**"

Mephistomon found this more confusing. First, it had gone from a flightless bird to a flying one, only to turn into a bipedal green avian. Seeing as he had been born a short while ago, there were some things he still didn't quite understand about digimon or evolution in general. This made him ponder.

"What is he doing?" Sho curiously asked.

"Leaving himself open!" Jun announced. "Parrotmon! Now's your chance!" Parrotmon wouldn't let his partner down.

With an affirmative nod, he said, "Right Jun!" And then he attacked. Mephistomon snapped out of the distracting thoughts as he locked claws with Parrotmon.

XXX

"Dark Vortex!" Velgemon's eyes emitted triangular beams. Demon merely stood there as they burned against his chest. A low chuckle bellowed up. This was actually amusing to him. Velgemon could see he was getting nowhere. He had to finish this quickly. Swooping low, he began to circle, drawing with the tip of his wing. "_Why isn't he moving?_" Thought Velgemon. It would make more sense for him to try and dodge this sure-fire kill shot.

Even though he had formed it by half, Demon still held that confident grin. How could he be so calm? Velgemon continually asked that question as he completed the circle. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" He shrieked as he flapped his wings rythmatically. "Dark Obliteration!" Dust blew as a gust came out of nowhere. From the circle drawn, a dome of dark energy started to close over the demon lord. Then, with a horrifying face forming on it, the dome shut. Inside, there came a swirling surge of energy, as the attack commenced. Finally, it stopped. In a flash of light, the energy subsided, leaving nothing but a crater where Demon once stood. Velgemon felt relieved, the master plan would not be disrupted.

Suddenly, he felt a constriction in his chest. "Did you really think I would allow myself to be destroyed by such an attack?" The voice! Wrapped around his chest was a large, elongated claw. Behind, he heard a gloat...Demon's gloat.

"There's a clear difference between me and the rest of you." By the last comment, Velgemon knew he was referring to Lilithmon and Cherubimon. "Lilithmon, Cherubimon, they were both enslaved by the master against their will." The grip grew tighter. "I, on the other hand, willingly opened myself to his powers of darkness." From Demon's claws, a thick miasma-esque aura flowed. Its color was pitch black that could only come from the darkest of hearts. Velgemon could feel it overtaking him. In and out the image of Velgemon started to fade and was replaced with the small outline of a humanoid body. It wasn't Duskmon, there was no armor, only a white robe.

"That may be true, Demon!" From Velgemon's own body, a similar darkness had begun to emerge. The demon lord tried to maintain a grip, but as the darkness grew, he found his grip starting to unbind. "BUT I KNOW MY LOYALTY!" With a loud screech, the dark aura overflowed, completely eclipsing Demon's. The demon lord shielded his eyes as the darkness tried to swallow him. Then, it was gone. Demon opened his eyes to find Velgemon was missing as well.

"Coward." He scoffed. More than likely he was hiding in wait. Not that it would do him any good. Demon could tell he already had more than enough power. By now his Demon Corps were doing battle with the humans. It wasn't all a loss. Duskmon couldn't do anything. Nor could Lilithmon or Cherubimon. Even the master, or former master, couldn't contest with him. Demon was the most powerful being in the Digital World. He could do whatever he wanted.

XXX

"Are you sure?" Azulongmon asked.

Maya nodded. "Of course." In her hand, she held something. It was a small light filled with zeroes and ones. It was data, but not just any data. A tender look shone on Maya's face. "The coming darkness is great, and if anything should happen to me, I want the Digital World to have some form of guardianship."

The data child meant nothing against the god. Frankly, Azulongmon was the only one she could really talk to. Yet, he and the other Harmonious Ones, could only intervene in the Digital World's affairs if circumstances forced it. Mostly, those duties came to Maya. Something inside her told her that time was short. So that's why she took this precaution. Well, that was half the reason. The other half was attributed to loneliness. She was the last of her kind, partially, that is. Maybe it was selfish, but was there anything wrong with that?

"May I ask one thing?" She asked, as she floated the data to the dragon.

"You may." Azulongmon agreed. Sighing, Maya asked her question.

"If it would be possible, would you use the name Gennai on one?" Gennai was a name she just thought of herself. It held no meaning, just something she wanted to pass onto her legacy.

"You have my word, data child."

That was enough for Maya. With one task done, she left to complete another. It was time she intervened once more.

To be continued…..

A/N: Yep! Maya is the mother of Gennai and those other hooded guys we saw in the flashback. You know the ones who Piedmon and the Mekanorimon slaughtered? Well at least that was what I was going for. First of I want to say I have decided to forget about popularity and just write for myself. I admit I like reviews but ultimately I am going to try not to care about them so much. Honestly you like my fic so that should be enough. Heck I've gotten several comments from people on this site and outside this site asking me not to stop writing. So I won't. Just to warn you I seem to blink in and out of depression, but ultimately I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Overall I also want to hank my fans and the one who have convinced me to keep writing this. Also I just realized the format of some of my chapters, well more like about 20, have a weird format. Therefore I have started to edit them bit by bit.


	46. Chapter 46

NeoGenkimon threw a punch right at NeoDevimon. The fist nearly missed the demon's horns. Seeing that he missed, he followed up with a kick. This time, he managed to nail him right in the abdomen. NeoDevimon took the attack to a certain degree. The demon was quick to react.

"Guilty Claw!" The attack was very reminiscent of Devimon's "Touch of Evil." The only difference was the intensity of the darkness that emanated from the palm. NeoGenkimon could very well feel himself starting to fall and slide from his opponent's attack. Kazuya could feel it as well, as he and his digimon were linked together. In both their brains they could only think of one attack.

"Chi Fist!"

It was a finishing move strategically, but it was to a lesser degree they usually attacked with. NeoDevimon's own touch conflicted against the might of the fist. Back and forth their arms seemed to go. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, one of light and the other of darkness, two opposing elements, ended the attack. The pair breathed for a bit as they tried to rest from the initial stream.

"Deep Sorrow!" Apparently NeoDevimon wasn't as tired as one would believe. Flapping his wings, a spread of dark energy ushered forth. As it did, NeoGenkimon and his partner could feel an overwhelming sadness overcoming them. It was as if depression hit them like a ton of bricks. The kind that could only make one forget about life, and have a desire to end it all.

Kazuya wasn't one to give into depression so easily. There had been many times in his life that he would let sad times get him down, in both worlds, Real and Digital. Despite those times, optimist was his middle name, or hope in other words, for better times. Suddenly, he felt a strange burst of energy. He didn't know where it came from, but NeoGenkimon sensed it as well. Another attack sprang to mind.

"Aura Laser!" The energy beam slammed into NeoDevimon, sending him flying more than a few feet back. "Where did that come from?" Kazuya and NeoGenkimon asked themselves. Neither new where the energy storm came from. In fact, neither of them noticed there was a brief but faint yellow glow under Kazuya's shirt.

Beside the goggle-boy and his digimon, Sakura was having her own fight. Boy against boy and girl against girl, that seemed to be the layout of the battles. While Both Neo digimon fought each other, RegalTiamon fought against Succubimon.

During this Sakura had to ask herself "why me?"

It would seem every time Tiamon evolved into her Ultimate form, something happened that made battle nigh impossible. The first time wasn't a problem, the second time on the other hand... Sakura couldn't help but grow red at that memory. During that time, RegalTiamon had let her new power and status go very much to her head. Luckily in the last stages, she hand managed to regain her former wise stance. After that, she seemed perfectly normal. That is, until the drink. Why did her digimon have to get drunk?

Or as Fairydramon claimed, tipsy. Sakura wasn't so sure on that. Her mind already synched with her digimon, in fear that she wouldn't be able to fight well on her own. A mess, that would sum up RegalTiamon's mind set.

"_Why do I feel this way?_"

"_Stupid jerk?_"

"_What's so wrong with me?_"

"_Wait, did I just? Oh he's just a huge pervert! Why should I care?_"

"_Still..._"

Those thoughts confusedly clashed with each other. Sakura could tell her digimon now lay in a state of emotional turmoil. These raw feelings were making the draconic mon confused. Said feelings of course referenced to a certain scruffy rabbit. It wasn't hard to see to Sakura, that her digimon had gained something of her admirer. Funny how she always acted like she hated him, but feelings of love were always a complicated matter. To her own honesty, Sakura herself wasn't so sure on her own feelings towards…..

"Regal Flame!" Regal Tiamon belched forth a pink stream of fire. Belched was precise, as the alcohol on her breath seemed to add a rather igniting effect. Her movements however were rather…..sloppy, to say the least. Her own turmoil added to the drink made her mind rather hard to control. Sakura was having a difficult time synching up with her.

Succubimon fluttered around the battlefield. Her opponent flew upwards attempting to follow her, but overall she held the advantage. One, being she was smaller, and two, she held a clear head. "You have a man on your mind." She sneered. RegalTiamon now focused her full attention on the demoness. "I don't know what you may be thinking, but I can already tell you are not the loving type." RegalTiamon could see Succubimon starting to go out of focus, shaking her head, the image became clear again. Succubimon decided to try something. Looking down below, she stole a glance at the fighting NeoGenkimon. As she expected, RegalTiamon followed her gaze. "Oh, I see, that's how it is." She grinned. "Well, you should forget it. A man like that could only be more deserving of a girl like me." She announced, showing off her rather impressive cleavage. "Not an overgrown lizard."

Something inside RegalTiamon snapped. "OVERGROWN LIZARD?" She roared. Pink and purple smoke poured out from her nostrils, a steam spout sound effect accompanying it. Mad indeed she was at the lizard comment, but more so at the comment regarding a man. NeoGenkimon was her man! No, wait. He wasn't her man! Oh, the thoughts started to conflict again.

"Dazzle Claw!" RegalTiamon had a mind to tear that devious she devil to pieces.

"Entice Viper!" Suddenly, Succubimon's hair began to snake and stream. Her fingernails lengthened, becoming long and stringy, like rope. Before RegalTiamon could react (not that she could react fast enough), the elongated keratin and follicles encircled her. RegalTiamon attempted to struggle.

"Don't bother." Succibmon giggled as dark energy flowed through her and into the dragon.

RegalTiamon's struggles subsided as she felt the poisonous substance start to wear her out. Down below, Sakura faltered as she too felt the drowsy aftereffects. Seeing as she wasn't the one fighting, she didn't receive the full effects. Her digimon on the other hand, or claw, felt every bit of her energy drain. Slowly, her eyes started to close, as she felt her own data starting to fall apart. Then, she fell, like a great big rock. Don Guil winced, he would have to get that paved over.

"RegalTiamon!" Sakura shouted. Of course no answer came, the great big lizard was out like a light.

Succubimon smiled pleasingly to herself. She felt so invigorated from that energy drain. She would have gone for a full meal, but something else caught her attention. Again, deviating below, NeoGenkimon and NeoDevimon continued to fight. They had refrained from using their attacks and stuck to physical approaches. Every one of their punches and kicks matched, it was like watching a street fight.

"Ready to give up!" NeoGenkimon cockily queried. So far he had kept up a good style and stance. All this and managing to still smoke his cigar. Even though Kazuya had pressured him not to get too cocky, he had to pat himself on the back at some points. So far, he and NeoDevimon were matched (a theme he had started to notice). But he was fairly optimistic that he would win. Suddenly, an image flashed by him, a black and purple one.

"Hey, big boy." Succubimon greeted, flashing her colorful irises. NeoGenkimon blinked in shock. NeoDevimon was doing the same, underneath his mask. Just what was his sister up to? He shortly received his answer.

"Dark Seduction." Succubimon purred the attack in a low whisper. A strange haze emanated from her, purple as most of her body. The only movement she struck was a rather seductive pose, very befitting of the attack name. All NeoGenkimon could do was focus on Succubimon. Her curvy body...her figure as a whole was nothing short of perfection.

"Temptress Nail!" Succubimon cried as her fingernails elongated. Rabidly, she struck away at NeoGenkimon's armor and skin. Mostly, she went for the skin. Seeing an opening, NeoDevimon joined his sibling. Her "Dark Seduction" had left the armored rabbit immobilized. The haze had entered through all open orifices. His data felt frozen and while he was being hacked at, he didn't care at all. All he could think of was the lovely Succubimon. He couldn't even remember what's her name.

"Yes, that's it." Succubimon purred. "Just lie there and take it." NeoGenkimon felt so lightheaded, limply his cigar fell from his lips and fell to the ground. The lit ash died as the digital tobacco melted. The same could be said for NeoGenkimon on the inside.

"NeoGenkimon!" Kazuya cried out after his digimon. There came no response. He didn't even seem to care as the Ultimate's beat away at him. "Dang it! Wake up!" Still, there came no response. Kazuya felt himself growing tired as well. Shaking his head, he banished the lethargic feeling, he wouldn't let the connection get to him, too.

Sakura at this point felt useless, they both did. Kazuya would rush out there to save his partner, she just knew it. The only digimon that wasn't occupied was RegalTiamon, but she was rather out of commission at the moment.

"_RegalTiamon! Wake up!_" Sakura thought. Hopefully with their connection, she would receive a message. The dragon stirred just slightly. It was working, but not enough. "_NeoGenkimon is in trouble! You're the only one who can help him! _"

Unbeknowest to her, a pink glow appeared underneath Sakura. It came briefly, just as her wish to help her friend's digimon. RegalTiamon slowly opened her eyes. "Sakura?" She asked, her vision unblurred just as she fell upon NeoGenkimon. That, and Succubimon and NeoDevimon beating the living daylights out of him.

Whatever had snapped earlier had merely just unraveled to a fine string, now it snapped. The two demons looked up as an angry roar called out. A thin mist spread across the field, but it wasn't mist, it was pink and purple smoke, the source being a very angry RegalTiamon.

XXX

Mephistomon and Parrotmon appeared evenly matched in terms of strength. They each tried to oust each other. So far, nothing was doing. In fact, they had been at this standstill for about a minute in counting. "Okay, this is getting pretty boring." Jun noted.

"You said it, whoa!" Sho exclaimed. It was indeed boring, but at the moment he was trying to keep Labramon from rolling away. "Geez, when does she digest?" Even though she had just been used as a soccer ball, she was still in a half-vegetative state. When the word fight came up, a huge battle was expected. With a new enemy popping up, it would make perfect sense for some destruction to follow. So far, there was none. Not that Jun wished for any destruction, but still, it was a fight.

"Come on, do something already!" Jun decided it was time for a little push. Balling her fists, she pushed all her will onto Parrotmon. The avian digimon felt his partner creeping up his spine, mentally that is. Jun didn't have the strength to scale a giant bird. Parrotmon didn't find much of a choice as his partner mentally forced him to shout.

"Mjolnir Thunder!" The electricity sparked from his head feathers. Mephistomon fell backwards from the literal and emotional shock.

"That's it! Now to hit it home!" Jun cheered. Parrotmon found himself compelled against his will a second time. "Sonic Destroyer!" Mephistomon skidded back a second time. Parrotmon sprinted in a sudden rush of air, colliding with the demon beast.

Overall Jun was very happy and if Jun was happy, Parrotmon couldn't help but be happy. Well, almost happy. He preferred his previous methods, as they involved less physical activity. He wasn't lazy, just openly opposed to violence.

"Jun, maybe we shouldn't have made him angry." Cautioned Sho. Indeed, Mephistomon did look angry. In his mind, it finally began to process that these people were trying to hurt him, nay they actually did hurt him and he didn't like that. His face contorted in a pained aggression.

"Oh, come on. He's just being a sore loser." Jun cockily remarked. Mephistomon looked ready to attack, his body and facial features clearly showed that. Yet instead of rushing forward, he knelt down in a calming position. Everyone was a little perplexed at the action but it soon became clear.

"Black Sabbath." The voice was low and partially inaudible. But the effects were soon felt. A strange melody, low and xylophone like in pitch could be heard. No immediate effects came from the attack, until...

"AUGHHHHHH!" Sho screamed. "Sanbara!" Jun found herself lapsing back into her original, tormenter-victim formality. Parrotmon suddenly let out a squawk as he too felt the effects. Jun herself could feel it more intensely, as she felt what her partner did. Mephistomon grew pleased by their pain. Out of his siblings, the cloning process hadn't given him the short end of the straw in intelligence, but he understood certain aspects of torture. This was one of them and he very much liked it. The only one who seemed unaffected was Labramon, only because she was still in her own little world of food induced euphoria. However, something freed her...her partner's wails. The gloss faded from her eyes and a great feeling of resolve bubbled up inside her.

"Sho-chan!" She cried and the feeling was released. What sounded like a trumpet played and a thick smelly gas blew over the field. There was feeling in Labramon's gut and it released. Nobody felt like their insides were being torn apart anymore, all they could feel was their noses burning, even Mephistomon processed this quickly enough.

"Nobody hurts my Sho-chan!" Labramon barked with affirmation. Even in her stuffed position, she knew somebody was harming her Sho and they would pay. The light that shined from the digivice illustrated her resolve.

XXX

Hope and Light were resonating. Maya sensed it, the latter more intensely. Perhaps the time was nearing. "You can feel them, can't you?" Wisemon asked.

There was nobody else Maya could think of for guidance on this matter. Already she had confided in Azulongmon. This was rather for reaffirmation. The robed digimon looked over his shoulder.

"Patamon, have you found it yet?" The winged guinea pig came from within the back chamber. In his paws he carried a scrap of paper.

"Master, I wish you'de put the prophecies in a place you'll remember!" It would seem that Wisemon, despite his namesake, had still yet to overcome his forgetfulness. Taking the parchment from his apprentice, he unrolled it, displaying the contents to Maya and an overly curious Patamon. Since the day when he became a strong Piximon arrived, he wanted to know how prophecies went. Upon the aged paper were three pictures. The first and more prominent one was that of a huge demon. Its features blackened and dark as an evil aura hung off it. Below it were two smaller figures. Both figures were bathed in a similar aura only this one was of light. The light clouded their features but the overall shapes could be discernable. The first figure was armored but a pair of long ears showed it was a rabbit. The other figure was a humanoid but a certain draconic quality was evident. Beside the rabbit and dragon respectively, two symbols lay beside them. One was the symbol of hope while the other was light.

"The demon lord shall bath himself in darkness, his power nearing to eclipse the entire Digital World, to steal the reins of control from his evil master." Wisemon read the digicode at the bottom. "Yet in the end, Hope and Light shall shine forth and stand against his designs." That was the end. As far as prophecies went it was rather short. "Is it definite?" Maya asked. Wisemon rolled up the paper. "Prophecies are only half carved in stone, they can change just as easily."

Maya was afraid of that. The future of this vision could go both ways, for good or evil. So it would seem she had to step in to keep victory in the former's side. "I thank you." She said before leaving. "You're worrying about your own fate, aren't you?"

The question made her stop. That was something else she had confided in Wisemon. She was brave enough to face the answer, so she would take the truth regardless of what it was. "There is no changing it, is there?" She asked.

The wise but forgetful sage looked down. That told Maya enough. "I still thank you." Maya replied. Her business done, she left. The possible future lay before her and she would fight to ensure evil wouldn't win.

XXX

Succubimon dodged the fire stream. Flying upwards, she and NeoDevimon escaped a fiery inferno. "What the!" Succubimon cried, as a heavy-scaled shape rammed into her.

"Succubimon!" NeoDevimon cried, but the brunt of a tail slammed into him. Amidst the smokescreen, RegalTiamon exhumed more of the ashy substance. It worked, as the two demons couldn't see her shape, despite the size she presented.

"Dazzle Claw!" Succubimon remained her sole target. Her enflamed fist slammed into the digital succubus. Again and again she struck, each time more furiously. Below, Kazuya looked up with curiosity. "Geez Sakura, you're really pouring a lot into her." Kazuya of course was mentioning the link between a digidestined and their Ultimate level digimon. However, he noticed Sakura's glasses were fogging up.

"It's not me." She honestly answered. "All I did was give a little push." This took Kazuya by surprise. If that was the case then…"Wow, I guess she really does feel something for him." This further accentuated as RegalTiamon continued to assault her opponent.

"Temptress Nail!" Succubimon retaliated with her own keratin blades. They singed and smoked underneath the fiery grip. "You'll never beat me, reptile!" Succubimon pushed against RegalTiamon moving her somewhat whilst in midair "Deep Sorrow!" The wave of negative energy overflowed towards RegalTiamon. Even with her size, the dragoness could feel the sad energy start to weaken her. This only made her flight falter.

Seeing the chance her brother presented, Succubimon continued. She would have used Dark Seduction but seeing as her opponent was female, it wouldn't work and it would appear rather odd to say the least. "Entice Viper!" The hair extended, wrapping around the dragon's neck. The duel attacks pressed on her energy. RegalTiamon could feel herself falling. Her head drooped down and that is where she saw him, NeoGenkimon. His body still, and then her eyes went to his partner and hers. Too many were counting on her, she couldn't' fail. Even now, Sakura was trying to sync up again, but RegalTiamon cast her out. It may have seemed harsh, but this was something she had to do on her own.

"What?" Succubimon said in surprise. Slowly, RegalTiamon raised her head. Any energy that lay within her was quickly brought back to the surface. Opening her maw, she let out a roar, making the devilish twins flinch.

"Lady!" RegalTiamon flapped the energy away. A familiar fiery shape formed behind her. "Agni!" The fire dragon now appeared, strong and triumphant looking. Both Succubimon and NeoDevimon felt nervous at the formation. Eyeing only one, RegalTiamon unleashed it right towards Succubimon.

"Sister!" NeoDevimon cried, yet it was too late. Succubimon could feel the flames burning her flesh. It heated right down to her data which now broke apart. Her once lovely flowing hair burnt away, leaving her scalped. With a final scream, she disintegrated into digital dust. RegalTiamon let out a snort, glad the hussy got what she deserved. Her attention shifted to NeoDevimon, or rather, the slowly fleeing shape of him. Apparently, he knew when the chips were down. Below, Kazuya and Sakura let out cheers at their victory. Don Guil however, retained his composure. Yet, he was impressed all the same. Now that the danger had passed, Kazuya ran towards his partner, who at this point slowly awakened. It had been Succubimon's scream that had done the trick. The temptress gone, her siren spell now broke. It warmed his beating heart as he noticed the still floating data of Succubimon and RegalTiamon's wings blowing it into the breeze.

Apparently the power of love conquered all, to NeoGenkimon at least. He would have rushed up there with a cry of "my sweet honey!". Only if he wasn't so tired, that is.

XXX

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**" The bloated ball of digital pup bounced and now replaced with a golden guardian. That wasn't the end as Shiisamon's shine darkened as the sign of Friendship appeared.

"**Shiisamon super evolve! Cerberusmon!**"

Somebody had threatened her Sho-chan. That stood mostly in her mind and Cerberusmon wouldn't stand for that. "Mad Dog Fire!" She immediately attacked, her emerald blazes burning into Mephistomon's skin.

The Behemoth let out a grunt of pain as he felt the hellfire. Cerberusmon kept it going, not even getting a breath in. Jun, Sho and Parrotmon stood dumbfounded as the assault continued. Mephistomon could only take the pain to a certain degree, when it was too much for him, he made his own move.

"Dark Cloud!" From his body, Mephistomon summoned a forboding cloud. As it flowed along the streets, a line of decay formed underneath. Sho could see this from afar. The cloud eventually made its way to Cerberusmon, covering her completely. "Cerberusmon!" Sho nearly ran after her, but Jun's grip firmly held him.

"Don't do anything, stupid!" She cautioned. Jun could understand Sho's feeling. Neither bothered arguing with each other. Thinking about it, Jun realized she probably would do the same if Parrotmon was in that cloud.

The cloud surrounded Cerberusmon like fog, acidic and deadly fog to be precise. Parts of Cerberusmon's plated armor started to discolor and smoke, but the effects didn't seem entirely harmful.

"Inferno Gate!" The dark dome enclosed both herself and Mephistomon. If the fight escalated, Cerberusmon didn't want any innocent bystanders to be harmed, especially her dear Sho-chan.

However, being a creature of the dark, the advantage the gate normally presented were not so effective this time around. Mephistomon rammed his fist against Cerberusmon's head, followed by his hoof. Cerberusmon's own armor defended her to a certain degree. Yet a limit had been set and she knew it.

"Mad Dog Fire!" She breathed again and Mephistomon took it. Then another interesting sight popped up. Mephistomon's burns were not as serious as before.

"_Why isn't he?_" Cerberusmon thought but then it hit her. Mephistomon was a dark digimon, and in this dark realm it only made him stronger. She nearly kicked herself form her mistake.

Mephistomon took advantage of the situation to perform another rendition of "Black Sabbath". Strengthened by the darkness, the melodious prayer increased in pitch. It worked its way down Cerberusmon's spine, breaching her very soul. As she weakened, the dome began to crack until it finally shattered. The moment it did, Mephistomon followed up with another "Dark Cloud". Weak as she was, Cerberusmon could not defend herself...but she didn't have to.

"Mjolnir Thunder!" Mephistomon felt the shock of electricity. Parrotmon had rebounded mostly from the orders of Jun, but at the same helping his fellow mon. "Hold on Cerberusmon, I'm coming!" He called. Taking another chance, he rushed forward with another "Sonic Destroyer". As before, he and Mephistomon locked horns, each trying to out strength each other.

"Come on Cerberusmon, get up!" Sho synched some of his own energy to his digimon. Cerberusmon could feel the mental prod and it couldn't have made her happier. "_Remember in Comp City, how you fought Grendmon?_" That's right! Cerberusmon knew her claws were sharp enough, sharp enough to sever limbs.

Mephistomon and Parrotmon continued to struggle. Then Cerberusmon put her plan into motion. "Parrotmon, get out of the way!" Parrotmon looked over his shoulder only to see Cerberusmon charging forward, claws first. "Whoa!" He cried, as his canine friend stabbed Mephistomon right in the pentagram mark. The goat demon let out a grunt of pain. Cerberusmon's claws broke through easily. Digging deep she left a visible, bloody hole.

"Concentrate on the wound!" Jun suddenly commanded. The girl could see what the dog's intentions were. Although Cerberusmon preferred it to be Sho who commanded her, she knew the fight held the most importance. Parrotmon listened anyway.

"Mad Dog Fire! Mjolnir Thunder!" The fire and electricity merged together, spiraling into the wound. Mephistomon's face contorted in pain. The searing pain ate away at him and then he finally gave up. With a final pained cry, he deleted into many fragments. The moment this happened, Jun and Sho let out cheers.

"They did it!" They cried together, that is until they realized they were hugging each other. Both teens blushed and let go. Parrotmon merely scratched his head, whilst Cerberusmon grinded her teeth. Then a growl came, her stomach called. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Apparently all that evolving burnt away the calories and digested her gluttonous load.

"Can we stop for something to eat?" Cerberusmon sweetly asked.

Needless to say, sweat drops went all around.

XXX

NeoDevimon flew as fast as he could. Succubimon and now Mephistomon, they were both dead. The latter he sensed the moment he fled past the city limits. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were the Demon Corps, born to do the will of the Fallen Angels or rather used to be. Demon had altered their data so as to be loyal to him and him alone. Cowardly as it may have seemed, he knew if he stayed behind he would share the same fate as his siblings.

"_Fleeing?_" A deep mental voice chided. NeoDevimon knew who it was. "Demon-sama!" In mid-air he did a bow. "Forgive me, but I would have-"

"_Silence!_"

NeoDevimon said nothing more. He could sense the thin ice starting to crack. Underneath his mask he could feel the sweat trickling down. Even from his unknown location, NeoDevimon could sense Demon's presence. Strangely, it had grown substanciably since the last time he gazed upon his genetic parent.

"_It would appear it is time I put an end to these human brats and their digimon pets." _Looking up in surprise, NeoDevimon pleaded. "Please, my lord! Give me another chance!"

"_Worry not, my servant._" Demon reassured, his wrath subsided. "_The time of my ascension is at hand, and those truly loyal shall receive a just reward._"

NeoDevimon heeded his master's words. From his position, Demon could sense the unwavering loyalty. The rise of he, Demon-sama would now begin. With the power of darkness now coursing through him, he would reign supreme, the new god of this world. Yet who's to say the Digital World would be his only conquest? After all, the Human World held another possibility.

To be continued…..

A/N: Well here ya go folks! I don't really have much to say is that I hope you enjoy and that my quality is still good. I really don't know what else to say. I think my chapter had it's flaws but I think it had it's strengths, The power of love conquers all!


	47. Chapter 47

NeoDevimon flapped nervously whilst in midair. Behind, the gleam that was Monde City shone. The gleam best befitted it despite its history of a crime-filled rule. Along with his nervous wing beats, he felt uncertain towards his lord's intentions, whatever those may be. Demon had remained silent since he had been informed of Succubimon and Mephistomon's death. NeoDevimon had been quite shocked as the demon lord decided to show up personally to deal with the threat of the digidestined. That rather unnerved him, it made him feel as if the failure of his mission had lost him a great deal of faith from his master. He had been born to kill and he couldn't even accomplish that. Yet he knew he still had a chance to prove himself. After all, he hadn't been deleted.

Suddenly he felt his data twinge. "Demon-sama?" NeoDevimon queried. The demon lord gave no answer. His own mind had something else pre-occupying it. He spoke however, words that only he himself understood. NeoDevimon had a hard time understanding the arcane words. They sounded ancient, yet the underlining tone of darkness dripped like poison.

Whatever he was planning, he was oddly patient about it. Strange, as patience felt unbecoming of him...but he waited.

Conquering a world took time.

XXX

Don Guil had two thoughts plaguing his mind. Number one, how would he go about remodeling? He certainly had the money, but which service to go through, local? Or overseas? The carpentry services of Server or Folder were very exceptional. After all, he could simply go for a different design, seeing as the old one slowly became lacking in the detail. In other words, he had grown tired of the previous design. However, he was distracting himself from the more important matter. Currently, he realized how his plan's success rate had increased. Two Ultimate's defeated in one night. Sure, one had gotten away, but they were certainly of the Fallen Angel's throng. That made it even more special. Soon, his family would be back on top. Of course, said family only consisted of himself and well, there was the subject of Gatomon. He would have to carry on his line sometime, and Gatomon could serve that purpose….

"Did you call us here for a reason, lizard boy!" Jun spat. The Ogremon bodyguard would have pounced at that point, but he had been deleted. Instead, Don Guil chuckled at the human girl's straightforwardness.

"I'd best get on with it then, shall I?"

Jun wasn't feeling very amused...none of them were. Each one had just gotten through a hellish fight. Barely and probably by their own skin they managed to make it out on top. There was also the subject of NeoDevimon. The demon had been the only surviving member. Yet he was but one Ultimate, and they had five.

"Eh, let that winged bat," Gazimon noticed a glare from DemiDevimon, regarding the bat comment. "I mean creep, go. We can handle him."

Kazuya sighed. "It's not NeoDevimon I'm worried about. It's his bosses."

The Fallen Angels, the ones who were behind the troubles in the Digital World, and those who were trying to resurrect the dark being trapped behind the wall of fire. Three highly powerful digimon...frankly, they were not sure if they would be able to handle them.

"Well to be honest, I have dealt with the Fallen Angels before." Don Guil announced and reminded. "Out of all of them, Demon is the one who handles conquest duties. It's doubtful Lilithmon and Cherubimon would directly enter the fray, unless necessary."

One powerful digimon, that held a marginally better chance of victory for them.

"Then again..." Don Guil shuddered. "He is rather the violent type. The things I've seen him do in a bad mood." That brought on another shudder.

Needless to say, the margin decreased.

So far the morale of the party had decreased significantly. Ever since they had stepped foot onto Directory, they had been thrown through hell and back, what with their introduction here and forced servitude.

"Guess we'll just have to face it when it comes." Kazuya announced. Everyone else looked up at their leader's words. "I mean, it's not like we can just run and hide."

Penguinmon raised his flipper up. "Why don't we give it a try? I'm all for running and hiding." He gave a slight whimper as Jun gave him a tiny smack.

"Seriously, this coward thing is getting old." Jun remarked. Penguinmon rubbed his sore spot, muttering a "sorry". With that distraction momentarily halted, Kazuya continued. "The point is, we've faced everything, even if we thought it was hopeless. We can't just give up without fighting."

Kazuya realized that speech possibly could have been corny. Sometimes being a leader required such grandiose wordings, almost as if someone was trying to make themselves appear wise and all-knowing. Kazuya felt he was guilty of that crime. After all, being unanimously voted, as he was, he felt a presence was required.

"You know I'm with you, Kazuya." Gazimon stood by his partner's side, always ready to fight. Kazuya grinned, especially when Sakura was the one to offer her support. One by one, he saw them all give grins of acceptance. They would face what was ahead and they would do it together.

"Okay, I think you all should get some rest for the night." Don Guil suggested. "My home is your home for the time being." Good advice, as they were all tired from their little night out. Each of them dispersed into the mansion, to rest in their own way. Sensing no danger, some of the digimon parted ways with their humans, while others stuck close by. It would seem another split in stories would now begin.

XXX

Labramon scarfed all she could. Don Guil had left much of his house open, including the kitchen. Labramon herself could probably keep it running twenty-four, seven. After all, she was hungry, all that evolving had burnt off the food and excess weight she had gained. Sho sat by tiredly as his digimon continued to make a pig of herself. Not that she cared; eating seemed to be Labramon's favorite pastime.

"More please!" Labramon called, the chefs quickly took her plates away to refill them. "Aren't you tired?" Sho asked with a yawn. Labramon could see that her partner certainly was. Guilt panged within her. Her she was, feeding her face, while her partner nodded off. "Don't worry Sho-chan, after this than we can go to sleep." She replied joyfully, although she would rather have a feast akin to the one she had earlier that night.

"Um, Sho-chan?" Sho fought off another nod.

"What?"

Labramon gave a tiny, genuine smile. "I really had a good time tonight. Thank you." Turning her head away, Labramon could easily be seen blushing.

Sho didn't know what to make of it. "You're welcome." He answered, then he yawned. Labramon giggled at that. Her partner could always make her laugh and Sho found himself blushing as well. "What's so funny?" He asked with some slight amusement. Labramon's giggle was infectious.

"You're so silly." Labramon answered, then she proceeded to stuff her face as the chefs brought back her meals. It was a rather large order, by far. Labramon started to wolf it down jut as fast.

"You know, maybe you shouldn't eat so fast." Sho warned, not that his digimon ate any differently before. "You could get the-"

"HIC!" Labramon was surprised at the sound.

Sho hung his eyes in an expectant fashion. "Hiccups." He finished.

Labramon tried to speak, but another hiccup came, followed by another. Sho let out a sigh as Labramon sheepishly grinned. Bedtime would have to be put on hold until the hiccup problem was fixed. Sho sarcastically considered himself lucky.

"Sorry *hic*" Labramon apologized.

XXX

Penguinmon flopped right on the bed. "Ha ha! This is really bouncy!" He cheered, glad to be at peace for once. "I'm glad we're not fighting!" The bird winced as he anticipated a slap from Jun for that cowardly remark...none came, however. Jun didn't hit him this time, she also could use a relaxing break from all the fighting they had been doing.

"I gotta agree with you there." Jun stretched her body out on the bed. She probably could use a bath, they all could, and surprisingly they had taken less time for bathing. Made sense, seeing as they were practically in the wilderness, and in the wilderness, you didn't just find a toilet in the wild. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Sometimes there could have been a porta-potty. So far, they hadn't had such luck with that one. In fact, did they even go to the bathroom? And why hadn't they been malnourished from their skipping meals? Oh, those were unimportant in the long run. What mattered most was the present, and those activities wouldn't be important to watch.

"Say Jun?" Penguinmon asked.

"Hmm?"

Penguinmon sat up for this question. Nervous as he may be about asking it, he just couldn't' hold back his curiosity. "Jun, why did you want to see Sho?"

Once more, Penguinmon prepared himself for an expected slap. He just expected it for no reason actually. It seemed like beating someone really clicked with Jun. Once more, he pleasantly found himself surprised. "Why are you asking such a dumb question?" She bluntly retorted.

Penguinmon winced slightly at the word "dumb". He didn't think it dumb, just honest. "Well, you seemed like you really wanted to see him. I kind of noticed it."

Jun herself thought about the question. Why would she rather spend time with Sho? Admittedly, she no longer found him a weak little nothing. Then again, did she ever truly? Maybe a little, but mostly he had served as a stress relief for herself, if anything. But she thought back to their first meeting in elementary school. She recalled how he looked back then, the first person to ever really show her kindness in her dreary life. Back then, she had though he looked cute in that little suit. And he wanted to sit next to her of all people. Then, it went down the hole as she began to pick on him, all because some popular snobs made fun of her. It stayed the same through junior high. They had never really interacted save for school, and then summer camp came out of nowhere, and they were forced together, twenty-four, seven. It only strengthened their relationship into friendship and maybe...

Swiftly, Jun took a pillow and threw it at Penguinmon. "Thanks for giving me that image, bird." Jun sarcastically retorted. Honestly, the thought of her and Sanbara together! Penguinmon let out a sigh as he removed the pillow. "It was just a thought."

Indeed a thought...a thought Jun couldn't shake off.

XXX

Kazuya wasn't sure of what to say to Sakura and the feeling was mutual for her, too. They would stare at each other for a moment, then quickly cast their glances away from each other.

"So, weird night, huh?" Kazuya decided to break the silence.

Sakura opened her mouth, a small form of a gasp emerged. "Y-yeah." She answered. "_Real smooth._" She thought to herself. Kazuya scolded himself the same way. It was funny how both of them were thinking the same thing. The events of the night hung off them like a bad odor. Mostly from the actions of their digimon that made them consider the deeper set of emotions that lay hidden. Could there be more to their friendship? True they had known each other for a long time, but they had merely considered themselves friends at most.

"Sakura, I wanted to thank you."

"Hmm?"

Kazuya adjusted his goggles for a second. "If you hadn't spurred on RegalTiamon, NeoGenkimon would have been killed."

Sakura placed a hand upon her chest. "You would have done the same." That much rang true.

"Besides, at least your digimon wasn't tipsy." Both of them laughed at that.

"Yeah, I never pictured your digimon like that." Kazuya replied. Then the laughter died. For the first time since they had walked in alone, they turned around to face each other. A confused flurry of feelings tormented their brains. Should they consider the other good looking? They had been fine with remaining just friends, but the implications were all there. With flushed faces, they turned around, unable to contain their color. This would take time.

Hopefully their digimon were having an easier time. Gazimon and Fairydramon had splintered off from them. What else would those two talk about?

XXX

Gazimon quickly realized he had neglected to take a lighter for his cigar. Fairydramon however remedied that. Her own flame lit up the tobacco roll. Despite her own misgiving for Gazimon's habit, she felt like she had to oblige him. "Thanks babe." Gazimon shared his gratitude. Drawing in the smoke, he exhaled with a pleased expression.

"How you can stand those things is beyond me." Fairydramon noted.

Gazimon drew in again, blowing out a ring in a way of showing off. "What can I say?"

Fairydramon knew what to finish with. "I know what I like."

Gazimon laughed, she really did know him. It showed (to him at least) that they truly were compatible. "You do know me, after all." Gazimon inched closer to her. Fairydramon wrinkled her snout at the smell of the smoke, but she didn't inch away. "I suppose, we have been traveling together, after all."

Gazimon let out another chuckle. "True, true." The moonlight painted a romantic scenery over the night sky, at least in Gazimon's opinion. A perfect setting for the right mood, now to just go for the clincher. "So, were you worried about me?"

Fairydramon felt a twinge of annoyance at the question. That, and how shaky her vision remained, even after she had sobered up significantly. Part of her wanted to avoid the question, or at least just deliver a slap or a retort. Or even a burning refusal as she had done in the past. For some reason, she couldn't lie about her feelings.

"Why wouldn't I worry? We're friends after all." Fairydramon couldn't deny that. Gazimon beamed happily.

"Really?"

Fairydramon nodded. Turning her head away, she blushed. "I will admit, you've actually gained my respect. You are a good fighter." Fairydramon knew she was only grooming his ego.

"Takes one to know one." Gazimon said, with a puff of smoke rising into the air. Fairydramon turned around, forgetting she had a blush on her face. Gazimon saw it, earning him a smile "You're fantastic...graceful...lovely and-"

"I get it!" Fairydramon snapped, although not angrily. She just couldn't take the over-dramatic display of affection. The comments did surprise her to a certain degree

"What? You didn't think I meant any of that?" Gazimon asked with surprise.

Fairydramon thought back to all the times Gazimon had won a fight. It seemed with every evolution, his ego grew only larger. Not even a loss would deter it. Although, evolution had inflated her ego as well. Her fight with NanoMamon served as a prime example. It wasn't one of her favorite memories, to be honest.

"It's more than that." Further admitted the dragoness. "You've really come a long way from that little hentai rabbit….to a certain degree." Fairydramon looked away again. "You're courageous and have an undying sense of loyalty to your partner." That much she meant. Gazimon more or less, served as the leader for the digimon half of their team. If anything, she served as the moral guidance or the smart one. Either one would work, but Gazimon always stood out on the front, particularly how he always seemed to receive the evolutions first.

"So, what else do you like about me, huh?" Gazimon prodded further.

Fairydramon felt her flush spread to her entire body. Any redder and she would emit steam. She even did a bit, as smoke puffed from her nostrils. "It's getting late." She said, trying to avoid Gazimon's question.

Gazimon wouldn't quit, however. "Come on!" Embracing Fairydramon in a hug, it provoked a bugging of the eyes from her. Reaching for her tail, he started to stroke it, or finger it, at least. "With all that you've said about me, I think you're starting to like me."

Those choice of words sparked something in Fairydramon, a spark she responded with by smacking Gazimon with her tail. The rabbit flew towards the railing, hitting it. Luckily, his cigar still hung in his mouth.

Fairydramon let out a low chuckle and left. "Good night." She muttered before she left. Gazimon exhaled a breath of smoke. Normally, he held bruises and marks from her "love" taps. An improvement, it would seem, and in a further twist, his cigar hadn't been destroyed.

"What a woman!" He exclaimed, not going with the "mon" cliché.

XXX

Demon could feel the darkness around him. Darkness grew as a part of every living thing. All digimon carried its stain, or rather, its blessing. Power and darkness went hand in hand. No such thing could be obtained with light. Unknown words he uttered, ancient and foreboding in tone. The jewel on his forehead glowed in accordance with his new power. If he had stayed with the master, he would have received no such thing, for a servant could never surpass the one they served. Cherubimon and Lilithmon were too enthralled by the master, or rather "his" thrall. Those two may have been mindless slaves, but he however strived for more. More would be what he would obtain.

"Yes." He said, as the power began to flow inward and outward. He had become the current in a river, and darkness was the water. From his feet, twin lines of light spread, circling the city, a dark, black-colored light. Within that new circle, a series of shapes started to form, criss-crossing and intersecting. From the sidelines and altitude, NeoDevimon knew the shape his master had formed...a pentagram. The pentagram glowed with its dark light. A summoning spell had been activated...Demon had called something from the Dark World, and they arrived. Tall shapes arose...spires...their color black in pitch. Several of them formed within and out of the city, as the pentagram increased in size, encompassing the nearby valley.

"The dark towers will serve me well." Demon proclaimed. Parting gifts from the World of Darkness. "NeoDevimon!"

The remaining member of the Demon Corps descended down to face his master. "Yes, Demon-sama?"

Demon outstretched his elongated limb to Monde City. "It is time to make our move. The Digidestined will fall tonight!" He proclaimed.

Then Demon heard it...the waves. They came suddenly without warning, ringing in his ears, and the back of his mind. For a brief moment, his vision changed as he could see it. Crashing waves against the shore...decayed buildings...but mostly he saw them...the watery servants spreading out from the waters, and from those dark depths, he emerged, the master of all those who resided in that realm.

"Dagomon?" Demon said in disbelief.

"_Beware the darkness, Demon._" The facsimile said before the scenery shifted back to reality. The demon lord blinked, looking around in a frantic panic.

"Demon-sama?" NeoDevimon inquired. Shaking his head, Demon didn't answer. Him...afraid of the darkness? No. It wouldn't hold any sway over him. His time to rise had drawn near, and he would take it. The Digidestined would fall and he would rise. Yet, as he and NeoDevimon flew towards the city, a lingering voice echoed in his head.

"_Beware the darkness, Demon….Beware._"

A/N: Apologies for the long wait, but here it is. No action yet (I disappear for a long time and I leave you with this) but the next chapter will have Demon on the attack. Nothing more to say except I did enjoy writing this. Fairydramon and Gazimon seem to be getting closer. Jun and Sho, well to be honest I am not sure on those two being a pairing, I kind of left it up in the air. Although I am sure you can guess the shippings lol. Overall I feel pleased with this story as of the moment. I have had a lot to think about and apparently people are reading this.


	48. Chapter 48

The dark towers rose in rapid succession, the pentagram called them forth from the dark waves. At first they merely encircled the city, forming an entrapping barrier. Many denizens who managed to sleep in the nightlife, were awoken by the frightened screams. For the towers didn't just stop on the outside. After the circle formed, the towers began to spring up within the walls. Unlike the kind outside, they sprang up in every direction. Having no minds, they paid no heed to whatever or whomever, entered their path. Demon could hear the frightened screams echoing through the night air.

This pleased him. Truthfully, he wanted the denizens alive to serve him, but all great empires were built on sacrifices. Their insignificant lives were merely small grains of sand in the hourglass.

He could sense their horrible light approaching. Five little bugs waiting to be squashed.

"Demon-sama?" NeoDevimon bowed to his master, awaiting his commands. Silently, Demon scoffed at his minion's over-eager display. He was still trying to make up for his display of cowardice.

"We move now!" Demon ordered briskly. NeoDevimon stood up abruptly. Now was his chance to prove himself again.

He would die for his master. "Yes!" He said, preparing to take off. "NeoDevimon." Demon's voice halted him. The devil clone paid close attention to what his master said, especially the last bit.

"Do not fail me, for this is your last chance." An audible gulp slid down his throat. Loyalty induced from fear always tasted the best. Demon knew this and like the fear from the city below, it pleased him. NeoDevimon quickly took off into the night air, and the demon lord followed shortly after.

This is where it would end and begin.

XXX

One by one, the Digidestined were awoken by the commotion outside. That is, unless crashing and screaming didn't count as commotion. They didn't need anyone else to tell them that trouble had arrived. None of them spared anytime for pleasantries as they all piled outside, their digivices shining in their hands. Don Guil called to them as they ran, but the group was too far out of ear shot to hear.

"What's going on, Donny?" Gatomon asked, wrapping a paw around her boss's arm. Don Guil kept close to her, returning the affection.

He had one guess as to who was responsible for the chaos outside. It would seem the big boss had arrived. Inevitable, seeing as his façade of loyalty to the forces of darkness would eventually be found out.

XXX

Kazuya jumped back as a dark tower sprang up right at his feet. He would have been skewered if not for the timely intervention of Gazimon. "Thanks." Kazua responded to the action.

Gazimon smiled, coughing a bit on his cigar. "No problem, pal *cough*" The rabbit beat his chest, trying to stifle his coughs. "I really got to stop moving around when I smoke these things *cough* *cough*!"

Just then, another dark tower rose up from some houses, destroying the buildings in the process. Sho gave a grimace at the display. "It looks like trouble follows us wherever we go." That much seemed true, for wherever they went, their enemies left a path of destruction after them.

"Don't *hic* worry *hic* Sho-chan." Labramon licked her partner's free hand. She had yet to get rid of her hiccups. "It's prob*hic*probably a certain somebody's *hic* fault." Labramon shot an accusatory glance at a certain beret-wearing girl.

Jun knew whom the dog referred to. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

Labramon held her head up high in a snooty manner. "Just what it says *hic*." Jun had half a mind to bash Labramon's skull in. In fact, she was just about to do that. That is, if Penguinmon hadn't held her back, not that he did any good.

"Will you guys cut it out!" Kazuya shouted. "If you've forgotten, we have more important matters at hand!" Jun quickly backed down, yet felt cheated that she didn't get some justice. Labramon however, felt some form of victory. Her grin cracked with an audible hiccup.

"These things are full of darkness." Sakura felt the chill up her spine.

All the digimon could feel the presence of the spires. DemiDevimon especially felt it. In fact, he seemed to rather enjoy the feeling. "Sweet darkness." He breathed, taking it all in. Then, he noticed Chiisi. "Kid?"

The boy looked on at a certain tower, or spire, both names went hand in hand. He remembered those towers, bad memories. "Gifts from the Dark Ocean." He muttered. Oh yes, he most certainly remembered. Even though he no longer had the mindset of the "prince", he vividly remembered those times. What a way to bypass puberty.

"Amazing, aren't they?" The group looked up to see a familiar winged shape.

"NeoDevimon!" Kazuya and Gazimon especially exclaimed.

Beneath his mask, the devil smirked. "So, you've all come out at once. That's fine with me. It'll be easier to kill you."

Gazimon smirked as well, blowing a steady stream of smoke. "As I recall bub, you ran off after we killed your pals." Sporting his ever cocky facial feature, Gazimon felt his words had hit something. Apparently they did, as NeoDevimon fumed. As Chiisi had his own bad memories, NeoDevimon associated that memory as a bad one…one that showcased failure, an embarrassing situation, to say the least. He had been bred to fight and he cowardly ran away. It wouldn't happen again.

"I think you'll find the results much different, this time." NeoDevimon kept his composure, even as he slightly shook at the memory from the past fight.

Different would be correct as another shape descended behind him. The chosen digimon immediately felt his dark presence. Chiisi and Sakura felt it as well, seeing as they were so closely attuned to the Digital World. A demon landed right behind NeoDevimon, a Demon more like it, as the way NeoDevimon bowed revelry indicated as such.

"Demon-sama." NeoDevimon said.

Yep, they were correct. This was it…the big battle. In the corner of their minds, they knew this was bound to happen; they just tried not to think about it. For some reason, they partially relished the thought of fighting their other enemies, mostly because they were minions thrust into their faces, yet this new one scared them to a certain degree.

"_Such power._" Sakura thought. All around, the digimon looked absolutely on edge, even Labramon, despite her hiccupping problem, looked ready to pounce. They couldn't, not that there was any place to run. Kazuya knew it as well. The goggle-headed leader balled his fists together, all in an attempt to appear brave.

From his position, Demon could sense their fear. "My, such brave faces you all have." He mocked. "So these are the digidestined I've heard so much about?" The demon lord observed the humans first. "Who would have thought such weak little creatures would give me such trouble?" Yes, humans were weak as far as Demon was concerned. The only means they provided was the key to evolution. Raw, physical power resided in their digimon. "But if not for them you wouldn't have made it upon your days here." The digimon, at least this group of Rookies, were not very impressive, at least in their current states. "Yet just as you, they are insignificant."

This didn't sit well with the digimon. "Hey pal!" Gazimon spoke out first then proceeded to cough on his cigar, "*cough* what gives you the right to say that *cough*!" The rabbit digimon broke into a series of hacks.

"Yeah *hic* we're just as good *hic* as any other digimon *hic*!" Labramon argued, the hiccups disrupting her speech.

Needless to say, this wasn't helping them in their attempts to appear fearsome towards the demon lord, who merely chuckled at the display. "We aren't going to be intimidated by you!" Fairydramon spoke up next, apparently with her brave front; she felt it would be best if she spoke on behalf of her fellow digimon, than the perverted hedonist or the glutton.

"Regardless." Demon wasn't impressed anyway. "Compared to the power I now possess, you are mere insects." A classic villain line, but it worked in this case. "Now would be the moment where I offer you mercy, or perhaps a chance to serve at my side," Demon's soulless eyes narrowed down at the group. "but I despise clichés."

The demon lord looked ready to fight, and they were in for a long one by the looks of it. "Hey kid, let's change into our Ultimate suits." DemiDevimon stood ready to fight, of course referring to evolving. Even Penguinmon looked ready, "I may be scared, but I won't let this mean bully harm Jun." Well, half-heartedly as he admitted his fear. Jun didn't care, though. At least her partner showed some backbone.

Holding up their digivices, light of red, orange, blue, black, and white shined forth. The light covered the digimon, enveloping them. Their heads raised high, they called out as their evolution took hold.

"**Gazimon evolve *cough*! Genkimon!**"

"**Labramon *hic* evolve! Shiisamon!**"

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**"

"**Fairydramon evolve! Tiamon!**"

In the place of five Rookies, now stood five Champions, but their evolutions were not finished yet. The symbols of Courage, Friendship, Sincerity, Knowledge, and Kindness, appeared on the digivices, signaling another burst of evolution.

"**Genkimon super evolve *cough*! NeoGenkimon!**"

"**Shiisamon super evolve *hic* Cerberusmon!**"

"**Saberdramon super evolve! Parrotmon!**"

"**Devimon super evolve! Myotismon!**"

"**Tiamon super evolve! RegalTiamon!**"

The five chosen digimon had reached the highest level (currently) of their evolutionary stages. Comically, NeoGenkimon still held a cigar in his mouth, (although he seemed to stop hacking for the moment), and Cerberusmon was still racked with hiccups.

Demon couldn't help but smile. "I'm still not impressed."

"Well, you will be, you overgrown bat!" Kazuya held out a clenched fist in his boldness. "Are you ready, guys!"

NeoGenkimon nodded, smoke escaping his masked muzzle. "You got it, partner!" He said affirmatively.

"Don't worry Sho*hic*chan! Your dear sweet Cerber*hicCer*hic*Cer*hic*" Cerberusmon tried to speak, but her hiccups kept interrupting her declaration of love. Her attempts to speak merely sent a flush across Sho's face.

Now Demon had lost his patience. A strange aura filled the air, no it was heat. The air actually felt hotter. "Evil Inferno!" From Demon's palm, a stream of fire jetted forth. Seeing the fire stream, the digimon dodged as fast as they could. They managed to dodge just in time. The digidestined felt the warmth of the flames ever slightly. The fire hadn't spread that far.

"The rest of you, stay behind!" RegalTiamon warned the children, "We'll take care of this!"

They didn't complain with the dragon. They knew they themselves wouldn't stand a chance against Demon, so they were best off leaving it to their digimon. Although in a way it made them appear useless as a presentation. After all, they were the ones chosen to save this world, it seemed kind of pointless to have their titles if they didn't actually partake in the fighting.

"Kind of cheap." Jun noted, breaking a bit of the fictional fourth wall if it indeed existed.

"Evil Inferno!" Another stream of fire shot from Demon's palm, the flames this time going towards the airborne digimon. Myotismon and RegalTiamon managed to dodge, yet Parrotmon didn't.

"Ouch, it burns! Hot! Hot!" The green bird did his best to put out the flames that licked his wing. It had only been clipped a bit, yet below Jun felt it against her shoulder.

"Hey, could you try to be more careful!" She screamed at her avian digimon.

Parrotmon put out the flame, thankful his digital body could take it. "Sorry Jun!" He called back.

Demon had to laugh again. It was all so amusing to the demon lord. "Just what are you laughing at?" Myotismon asked.

Demon composed himself before answering, "I expected you to at least show some form of bravado, but I am still disappointed. I still find it hard to believe you defeated my top general, SkullMeramon."

"Ha! Top!" NeoGenkimon shouted in disbelief, and once more coughing on his cigar smoke, "*cough* I beat him no problem! Two hands around my *cough* back."

"You know Neo*hic*Genkimon, maybe you should stop smoking. You're coughing all over the *hic*place."

NeoGenkimon exhaled. "This isn't the time for an anti-smoking message."

"True *hic, but you know you didn't actually kill *hic* Skull*hic*Meramon, he blew himself up." Cerberusmon reminded.

The burnt mark of NeoGenkimon's cigar burned ever more into ash, "Hey I knew that *cough*! I was just trying to impress the bad guy!" NeoGenkimon broke into a coughing fit as the more he argued, the more smoke went down into his lungs. He enjoyed the taste, but he had yet to refine his smoking technique.

"Still *hic* it's *hic* l*hic*y*hic*i*hic*n*hic*g*hic*!"

"Watch out!"

Whilst the two scolded each other, Demon had blasted another flame towards them. NeoGenkimon and Cerberusmon felt the flames' heat, just in time to barely get out of the way. Although in his surprise, NeoGenkimon dropped his cigar, the fires burning it to his dismay. Although Cerberusmon was happy for some reason, "Hey, my hiccups are gone!" That was the reason; the shock had frightened them out of her. Good, if not for the angry demon still attacking them. NeoGenkimon on the other hand had his own problems. He was most concerned with the loss off his high quality indulgence.

So much, that he proclaimed his anger high as he shouted, "Mach Rush!" The blue aura surged around him, fueling his power. To Demon, well his reaction was obvious.

"My, you do have your spirit." The demon lord gloated, "Just out of interested, I will allow you all to hit me with everything you have." Demon outstretched his arms, holding out his chest. The other digimon and their partners were confused. Their enemy? Allowing them to attack him? It had to be a trick of some sort. Chiisi felt this most of all. He could sense an overwhelming dread, or some other feeling emanating from Demon. Looking closer, he could feel something even deeper. The feeling stopped at the crystal upon Demon's forehead.

Chiisi recognized that feeling well, he had sensed it before indeed. "Darkness." He whispered. For a brief moment, the glow in the crystal shone brighter, and then dimmed to its usual color. Chiisi looked above, just past Demon, NeoDevimon flapped in mid air, watching. He didn't even seem inclined to assist his master.

"Wait!" Chiisi called, just as NeoGenkimon charged forward.

The armored rabbit unleashed his full fury, pummeling the demon lord with all his might. "What's wrong? Afraid to fight back?" The Ultimate gloated as he continued his onslaught. Flying back, NeoGenkimon called out, "Everyone, let him have it!"

The other digimon complied, each going in with their signature attacks.

"Mad Dog Fire!"

"Mjolnir Thunder"

"Grisly Wing!"

The three Ultimate's attack formed into one conglomeration of emerald fire, electricity, and bats (strangely fitting in there).

"Lady Agni!" RegalTiamon however went for her big finisher. The fire dragon formed in the sky as she soared to retain maximum formation. The flame dragon gave a mighty roar, in moments, the previous attacks were drawn into the flame beast.

Smirking at his love's enthusiasm and strength, NeoGenkimon decided to add his own mix, just one more for good measure. "Aura Laser!" Just as the other attacks were, the laser was absorbed into the fiery reptile. Lady Agni gave another roar as the last bit of energy offered itself to her. Her summoner, RegalTiamon, realized her fellow dragon. The Digidestined were in awe at the stronger form of fire. In fact, the flames themselves had changed color, first blue, and with the last contribution from NeoGenkimon, white. NeoDevimon flapped with a hint of nervousness. He knew his lord held great power, but would he be able to stand up to this?

"Demon-sama!" He called, hut the demon lord said nothing, nor gave a hint that he cared about what now came his way. The Lady Agni, descended upon her enemy with much prejudice and force. The flames covered and encircled Demon, but he made no sound. One feared him, and others believed he had been instantly destroyed. Those that survived the onslaught of the dark towers, looked on in distant amazement as the white ember lit up the night sky in a spectacular blaze of glory.

"We got him!" Kazuya proclaimed to the sky. NeoGenkimon flashed his partner a thumbs up, feeling their shared emotion. The joyous emotion seemed to emanate between the two of them, then it spread to their friends. Yes, they had been victorious, it would seem. Above, NeoDevimon shook with nervousness. His master had been defeated. The mighty demon had fallen. At least, that is what he believed at first. Fears of falling at the hands of these digimon now waltzed away. It wasn't over yet. Chiisi was the first one to realize that. A black wind blew from where Demon had fallen. Black, as that was the literal color of it. The flaming body of the demon lord subsided and he rose once more.

"Was that all?" Demon asked as he arose. The digidestined were in awed shock at the display. "But how!" Sho asked, fearfully. "It's obvious, Sanbara." Jun cut in. "We weren't strong enough, particularly him." She pointed to NeoGenkimon.

"Hey!" Both he and Kazuya said at once. Despite this setback, they wouldn't give up. "Then we'll just hit him harder!" Kazuya proclaimed.

"You said it, partner!" NeoGenkimon cheered, "You ready, guys!"

The other digimon were shaken (particularly Parrotmon). But they wouldn't give up. Even in the face of danger they always banded together to win against an opponent. It always ended in their favor. Yes, it would end the same way as before.

"I grow tired of this." Demon sighed. The demon lord waved his claw. The jewel on his forehead glowed with the same dark light as before. The Dark Towers glowed with the same light. Suddenly, an ill feeling came over all of the digimon.

"I feel funny." Cerberusmon exclaimed. The other digimon felt this as well.

"What the hell!" Myotismon exclaimed, as he felt his energy drain. The other digimon fell in suit, their bodies collapsed to the ground, as they felt the feeling growing worse and worse. All of a sudden, their bodies began to glow. The humans felt their connections with their partners disappear in an instant. The glowing bodies of the digimon began to shrink down. The glow died to reveal five rookie digimon.

"They devolved!" Sakura exclaimed. She knew she was stating the obvious, but it was that shocking.

"So we'll just evolve them again!" Not willing to give up, Kazuya held out his digivice, as did the others. The digimon got to their feet, ready and willing to fight again. However, they would not feel the power of evolution. The moment the digivices started to beep, they died. In disbelief, Kazuya and the others held their digivices out again. Over and over they tried, but nothing happened.

"What's going on!" Kazuya started to feel alarmed.

Demon's booming laughter silenced him. "I see my Dark Towers have done their job!"

Gazimon was now ticked off twice. First Demon had burned away his precious cigar, and now he was barring him from evolution. "Just what are you talking about, jerk!" The rabbit exclaimed.

Demon grinned as best as he could with his face positioning. "These towers have a purpose, and that is to halt your evolutionary process." That bit of info filled them all with dread. "Those digivices are weapons of light, forever clashed with tools of darkness." Demon referred to the dark towers. Chiisi and Sakura could smell the darkness, and hint of the sea air lingering off them…the sea of the Dark Ocean, gifts from Dagomon's waters. Demon's laughter continued. "The very power of darkness courses through me!" The demon lord boldly announced. The kids and their partners watched as Demon held open his palm. "It has been fun, but I will leave nothing in my way."

Everyone drew a blank. They were left powerless. They had no chance of fighting back as they were. The digimon offered apologetic looks towards their partners. The children accepted them.

Demon chuckled one last time. "Evil Inferno!" The fires ignited, spreading towards their targets.

To be continued….

A/N: okay well this is being continued. I just have to accept there will be periods where my confidence will lapse, but I will always bounce back. I decided to continue my trend of cliffhangers because I am just that kind of guy. I think I will continue this to its end. But to be honest, this fic sucks. Put frankly it does. Mainly I have noticed a big gap in creativity compared to other stories and this. That and I have considerably less reviews than everyone else. Now I will continue this regardless of review count, but for those reasons I think this story sucks. Still just read and enjoy! I hope you did.


	49. Chapter 49

Demon laughed as his "Evil Inferno" engulfed the human and digimon group. The fires spread to all sides, blocking off all escape and any passages. They would not get away from him. He wouldn't halt, so he continued to unleash the wicked flames. He wanted to make sure there was no margin of error. By now, they were nothing but scorched remains, but one couldn't be too careful. Above, NeoDevimon felt the joyous pride his master felt. At last, the forces of evil had won. Soon, the entire Digital World would be under the rule of Demon. Being his only, and currently high-ranked minion, he would mot certainly share in that glory. Possibly, he would even get control of a whole continent. Hey, a mon could dream, couldn't he? Even one who was grown in a test tube. To him it was an equal victory. The joy continued as the overkilling barbecue suddenly came to a stop. Yet, NeoDevimon felt that same joy start to falter. Then it disappeared completely.

"Demon-sama, what's wrong?" He knew something was amiss. His lord had felt so elated, but now, not so much.

The fires had disappeared as they were summoned. A big black scorch mark remained, it wasn't unusual, NeoDevimon and Demon expected it. But what was so wrong? Something wasn't right. Demon observed the black mark, the marks that should be the remains of five humans. The digimon would be long deleted by now.

Demon's face remained still, undeterminable by expression. NeoDevimon descended closer to his master, underneath his mask, his own expression was one of curious concern. "Demon-sama?"

Suddenly, Demon's expression became fierce. He let out a growl. NeoDevimon backed off, for fear of his life. "They're still alive!" Demon growled.

NeoDevimon couldn't believe that bit of news. "B-but how?"

"Find them!" Demon bellowed.

"Y-yes sir!" NeoDevimon fearfully replied.

As his minion flew off, Demon could feel victory escaping his grasp. Where could they have gone? He wouldn't let his perfect victory slip away so easily. His mind raced as he thought of all the possible places they could hide. One idea quickly hit him.

"_NeoDevimon, wait!_" He mentally called to his minion.

Ahead, the clone devil halted in his flight. "_Yes, Demon-sama?_" He replied, trying his best to hold back his fear. So far he was doing a good job.

"_I have an inkling to where those vermin went._" Demon knew very well who would harbor them at the time of his conquest. Honestly, he should have kept a closer tab on the Guil family. The current head of the family would have to learn who his true master was. The plan wasn't completely ruined yet. With the dark towers, the chosen digimon would be unable to evolve. The Digidestined were helpless on their own. Yes, it would be a glorious night for conquest. The distant screams that filled the air filled his dark soul with joy. That emotion found its way to him again.

XXX

One moment they were outside, and the next the digidestined found themselves safely within Don Guil's manor.

"What just happened?" Sho asked.

"We randomly teleported again. Isn't it obvious?" Jun replied. By now random teleporting had become their deus ex machina saving grace.

Even Don Guil had to comment on it. Not that he knew about it, it just sprang up in his foyer. "Do you always travel like this?"

"Pretty much." Chiisi answered.

Chiisi's calm demeanor was broken by DemiDevimon's talons digging into his shoulder. "Damn that freak!" The little bat seethed, "How did he do that?"

Don Guil cocked an eye. He knew whom DemiDevimon spoke of, or at least a guess, "Demon?"

"Hell yeah, Demon!" Gazimon exclaimed, "The jerk attacked us and burnt my cigar to ashes!" He spoke that line with pure venom in his voice. Anyone who disrupted his cigar smoking deserved to be punished.

"Will you forget about your cigar!" Kazuya exclaimed. Gazimon gave a pout, "Besides, you have more." Kazuya reminded.

With that said, Gazimon's ears shot up and he darted up the stairs. "Hey, you're right, pal!" He called before disappearing behind Don Guil's door.

"We can't just stay here!" Sho warned, "That Demon guy could find us! We're practically sitting ducks here!"

"I think that is obvious Sho." Jun said, this time saying Sho's name instead of his sur. Sho didn't think he would ever get over that.

"Well, it's not like we can do anything, Jun." Penguinmon spoke up, "He took away our evolution," The little bird pouted in a slump. This was a fight he was actually unhappy to not be in. How could he protect Jun if he couldn't evolve?

Fairydramon remained calm in this dire situation, "It appears our only option is to disable those dark towers." Everyone looked at Fairydramon.

"What do you mean?" Asked Sakura.

"I sensed an ill aura from those dark towers, more specifically when we devolved.

Chiisi stiffened. "She's right." his fist's clenched as he recalled that feeling, "Those things more than likely came from the World of Darkness."

Sakura of course believed her cousin, she too felt the illness that spread from there…the direct opposition to their digivices.

Suddenly, a loud crash alerted them to the bottom of the stairs. Gazimon laid amongst a large pile of cigars. He obviously had carried too much, yet he managed to hold the one clamped in his mouth. "Little light, babe?" Gazimon gestured to Fairydramon.

The dragoness sighed and shrugged. If no one else lit it up, then she would have to. She breathed a small flame which Gazimon drew his cigar end to. "Thanks, my sweet honey." Gazimon thanked her as he blew out a stream. Fairydramon didn't find it odd she was growing used to those kinds of comments.

"Oh Gazimon, do you have to smoke that!" Labramon whined with a paw over her nose, "They smell really bad!"

"Would everyone just focus on the moment at hand!" Kazuya himself was growing frustrated, that this whole adventure seemed to be turning into an anti-smoking campaign.

"The boy is right," Don Guil cautioned, "I deduce Demon has figured out my hand in helping you. I haven't been the most loyal "servant" to say the least." The Guilmon looked toward the busted door. Outside, they could see a shape approaching them. The shape was large and winged. It could only be one person, or digimon.

"D-D-Demon!" Sho and Penguinmon both stuttered. While Jun grew annoyed at her partner's lack of fighting spirit, Labramon stood by her partner, ready to fight as usual. They would all fight for their partners, but there was a problem, they still couldn't evolve. With Demon rapidly approaching, and their ability stiffened, they didn't really have much of a future.

"Donny!" Gatomon kept close to her boss, or rather lover, no use in keeping that a secret. Don Guil held her in equal embrace. Even he felt this would be their end. They couldn't escape fast enough.

Suddenly, Sakura let out a gasp. Something was stirring in the world. Outside, the growing image of Demon was blinded with a bright flash, a bright pink flash. Around the manor, a pink dome surrounded the entire mansion. This sudden appearance halted Demon to a skid, damaging the groundwork underneath his clawed feet.

Both parties uttered a bewildered but confused "what!"

Demon angrily smashed against the barrier. Each time he did so, he was met with a most painful retaliation. This dome had to be one thing…light. Sakura knew it to be light, as did Chiisi, DemiDevimon and Demon. Being creatures born of the dark, they knew their opposite element.

"Could someone explain to me what just happened?" Jun asked the most sensible question.

Kazuya had the answer, "It's our chance to make a break!" Kazuya turned towards Don Guil, "Hey, you gotta have some sort of secret entrance, right?" It was a shot in the dark question, but in this case, what the hell?

"As a matter of fact, I do." Don Guil answered.

This surprised Kazuya. He would have to ask shots in the dark more often. "This way, please." The mob boss led them far off into the manor. They didn't know how long this would last, the manor rumbled as the Demon continued to beat away at the barrier.

"Hey, hold on!" Gazimon called. The rabbit was trying to scoop up as many cigars as he could, all the while puffing on his own. Luckily, he managed to grab an armful. This time, he wouldn't let his babies go!

XXX

Demon continuously assulted the barrier with fire and fists. Yet despite the damage it took, it still didn't crack.

"GRAAAAAAGH!" Demon felt his rage grow, the exact sin he associated with, "Why…won't…this…break!"

NeoDevimon kept away from his master during his tirade, he still had to maintain a service and he very well couldn't serve anyone if he was dead, now could he? Demon continued his onslaught. He couldn't control himself any longer.

"_Temper, temper._"

The voice made Demon stop. Yet his rage only halted halfway. "This doesn't concern you Dagomon!" Demon seethed.

"_Actually it does._" The undersea master objected, "_You are tampering with forces that are beyond your comprehension._"

Demon switched his speech to mental. He didn't want his remaining minion to question his sanity. Though at this rate, he already seemed far gone. "_I control the powers of darkness! Light is nothing to me._"

In his head, Dagomon chuckled at the foolish response. "_You say that, yet you understand nothing._" Demon paused, he felt as if a dread grip held him. Far off, he could hear the waves crashing against the black shores. "_You say you are a master…a controller, but you are really just a pawn… a tool._" Demon could retort, but the grip fell too powerful on him, "_Darkness cannot be held by one who wasn't purely born of its embrace._"

Demon paused, "_You know?_" There was no answer. That said enough, "_That digimon is a buried memory._" Demon retorted.

"_You can't hide who you are Seraphimon._"

"_Don't call me that! He no longer exists!_" The Demon Lord argued that with the most intensity.

"_You know how powerful light can be, I know it as well._"

Then the waves and voice vanished. Demon found himself back in the present world. Although he denied it, he couldn't shake the memory of Seraphimon from his mind. That digimon, or rather form, would haunt him, it would seem. He was a different mon now, a stronger mon, far more capable mon. Unlike Cherubimon and Lilithmon, he wasn't a slave to a higher power. He knew by giving himself willingly to his former master, he would still maintain his free will. Whereas those two were enslaved by the power of darkness. He would not fall under the same category as they would, he would become far stronger than anyone would hope to achieve. But one thing he couldn't deny, was that he knew light could be strong as well. But darkness was stronger.

Demon continued to break away. Every barrier had to give at some point.

XXX

Hope and Light would have to resonate in this dark hour. But as Darkness stood as it was, that would be difficult. Maya knew she was breaking the rules, the natural order between planes. But she had no choice. Azulongmon gave his blessing. She wasn't sure on Bahuimon and Ebonwumon. That stuffy bird Zhuqiaomon would more than likely throw a fit, but she didn't care about what he thought.

The chosen ones needed help, and she would give it to them.

XXX

Making sure he covered all necessary situations for attempts on their lives, the Guil family had built a series of underground passages under their family's manor. It hadn't been used since it was built. Nobody messed with the Guil family. That could very well be a slogan, if nothing else. Dark, small, cramped, well, not so cramped, they were still able to walk close together.

"Did you really have to light that thing up _before_ he entered?" Kazuya asked, annoyed by his partner's smoking.

Gazimon was the only happy one of the group. The rabbit puffed happily on his tobacco stick. "Hey I know what I like *cough*." The rabbit uttered his catch phrase, with an added cough of course. It would very much be his by now. Who else could it be?

Jun waved some smoke away from her nostrils. "Hey, Don lizard!" She called to Don Guil. He and Gatomon were ahead of the group, leading the way. They didn't mind being so close together. "How much farther, to wherever we're going?"

"Jun! You shouldn't yell at him like that!" Penguinmon scolded his partner, knowing full well of what a crime boss could do. At least from what he could imagine. He didn't know much about the world of crime, but he could guess it was very bad.

"Oh, shut up!" Jun hissed back.

Don Guil ignored the small spat that went behind him. "Not much farther now…..I think." He said.

"You think?" Fairydramon responded, picking up one the "I think" part.

Don Guil rubbed the back of his head as he spoke in admission. "To be perfectly honest, I've never been down here before. I don't even know where we are going."

That response caused both the humans and their digimon to fall backwards. "You mean you have no idea where we are going!" Sho asked, growing panicked and still being panicked from the earlier events.

"Hey!" Gatomon snapped, "You can't expect Donny to know everything! This place was built by his Great-Great Grandfather, and they haven't used it since!"

Don Guil grinned for two reasons, "Thank you, my dear." He said to his assistant who returned it with an affectionate nudge. And where they had just arrived was the second reason. "It would seem your question has been answered, young lady." The don replied back to Jun. It wasn't much, but a stone circular area. A small bar lay at one end, a sofa and generally just a sitting room, comfort for a member of a crime family assumedly. Behind it, there was another path leading off into darkness.

"Is this some kind of safe house?" Kazuya asked.

Sakura adjusted her glasses as she looked about the dismal area. "I guess so." It made the additional path seem more of use. If a member of the Guil family had to flee, they would have to come down this way either for a short respite, or a way out of the city. Either they would be in for a long walk, or wait here till the heat died down.

"Well, I suppose we just sit here till the heat dies." Don Guil gave the scenario answer. A questions mark could have been tagged at the end of that sentence, but Don Guil wasn't sure of doing that.

Gazimon spotted the nearest recliner and sat himself in it. Blowing out more smoke, he settled himself in, his cigar pile next to him, "My thoughts exactly." He said, as he continued to smoke and relax.

Kazuya shot an annoyed look, mostly at his partner. "We can't just sit here. I mean, what if Demon finds this place?"

Gazimon waved a paw in the air, "Ah, forget it, Kazuya *cough*," Gazimon coughed as he inhaled too deeply. Several more smoke puffs coughed out before he beat his chest to stifle them. "This place is underground, no way he can *cough* find us."

"Actually, the boy has a point," Don Guil spoke up, "Demon could very well find us." That wasn't very comforting to hear. "Frankly, I don't know much about that light barrier, so I don't know how long it will last."

"It cracked." Sakura interrupted the reptile, something she sensed above stirred. In her eyes and mind, she could see and with her heart she felt the barrier constructed out of her element. Demon had continued to pound at it. The demon lord would not give up. Despite how much he assaulted it, the pink light didn't seem to budge. That didn't deter him honestly, although it seemed like a fruitless cause, the demon lord was determined. Yet at the front point of where his fists met, something small formed. A crack had begun, nothing truly noticeable, but it had made an impact. If left unattended, Demon would break through.

"The barrier can't hold forever." warned Sakura, "Demon will break through eventually." More thoughts made her nervous, "And we're practically sitting ducks here."

DemiDevimon grinned at the morbid thought, he got a clear picture. "He stomps through here and then SMASH!" The bat illustrated with his talons, moving them in a crushing movement. "Big bloody chunks." The scenario may have been a grisly one, but it was the truth really. If these collapsed, then the results would not be pretty.

"Then what are we doing standing around here?" Sho questioned, "Let's keep moving!" The boy pointed to the nearby pathway, the one that assumedly led outside the city.

A good idea, but not everyone felt it would matter, "No use." Jun of course was the one to break the silence and be the bearer of bad news.

Labramon growled lightly towards the rude girl, "Are you trying to upset Sho-chan or is it just second nature?"

Jun gave a glance at the canine, but didn't press the comment any further than that. " What I mean is I agree with Miyamoto. Staying here wouldn't be wise, but going anywhere wouldn't really do anything." Jun further thought on the matter, "Even if we got out of this city, how far could we even get? I mean that Demon guy could just find us."

Chiisi himself thought on the matter as well, "He won't leave. He has the advantage here. With those dark towers, we can't evolve our digimon." The boy could feel their dark power growing. It coincided with Sakura's light powers. Both cousins felt what was transpiring above more than anyone. Despite the comfort he felt at the increasing darkness, he knew in the hands of someone evil, it would not end well for the ones he cared about. "He knows that and won't step out where he has the most advantage. And worse, think about what he might do to the innocent digimon who live here."

The loss of innocent lives, they wouldn't want that on their shoulders. Demon would be the kind of creature to do such a thing. A rumble suddenly shook the room, and a few rocks of gravel fell down, accompanied by dust.

"It's getting worse!" Sakura spoke with dread. Outside, the crack had gotten larger. The barrier may have had some strength, but in the end, it would give out.

Chiisi felt the dread as well. The darkness that Demon strengthened himself with, was increasing in power. "Demon is feeding himself too much power. I don't think he can control it."

"He can't." A female voice suddenly spoke out.

Sakura and Chiisi, but mostly Sakura, felt a strong surge of energy…light. Something, or rather someone, materialized within the room in a sudden flash of said element. The light materialized into a shape, a human one at first glance. White was the first color that appeared to their eyes. Attached to it was a blond-haired girl. Sakura immediately recognized the girl.

"Maya?" She asked. The others took a moment to realize who it was, considering their interaction with the enigmatic girl had been considerably less than the other times. For Chiisi, this was the first time he had seen her. Although he had a sense for light, he didn't despise it. It just didn't make him feel at peace as darkness did.

"Hello Digidestined, a pleasure to see you again." Maya spoke in a somewhat cheerful, but serious tone. "I am sorry to say these are not the most ideal times I would like to meet with you."

As her partner, Fairydramon was the first to realize something about the girl, "You're the one who set up that barrier."

Maya nodded. "Unfortunately, there is only little time before it breaks. Demon will make his way through." She warned.

Jun sweat-dropped with a sigh, "You came all this way to tell us that?"

Maya could understand the sweat-drop in all honestly. This whole moment felt hopeless to some. But she had a chance…they all had a chance. "All is not lost." Maya pointed towards the group, but specifically at three.

"Kazuya, Sakura, Chiisi." The three of them looked forward as their names were mentioned, "You may be the key to stopping Demon."

XXX

Duskmon watched from the spire, high above. His armored feet were firmly planted upon its tip. Truthfully, this darkness comforted him, but not in the hands of its current wielder. The wrathful brute known as Demon…he was a fool, Duskmon thought. One not fit to wield its powers. Only those who truly understood its powers were chosen to wield it. Demon had taken it by force, all in his intent to overthrow the master.

"He _is_ a fool…always has been…even in his days of light." Duskmon recalled those days, back when he was known by a different name. Demon wanted control even back then. Darkness was a part of every being, even those who were wrought from light. As holy as some portrayed themselves, they couldn't deny the yang of their souls. Those who did so were equally foolish. That MagnaAngemon was another prime example. In the end, he had let his own darkness be confused with light, and it had cost him his life.

"Maya., does it pain you to see him like this?" Duskmon asked to the girl, who at the time wasn't with him. He could sense her far off, and presumably she sensed him as well.

"_Darkness shall eclipse the sky. Spires pointing to the heavens high. Only Darkness can stem the tide. But even then in the shadows they bide. Hope and Light shall shine._"

Duskmon and Maya spoke that legend in unison, a poem once spoken of by the great but forgetful Wisemon. They were not even sure if the latter remembered it. But even now, it would show. For the first time, Duskmon cheered for the humans. Oddly enough, Demon would need to be beaten for the master to arise. Duskmon reclined himself to watch.

Darkness was his element, and he would observe how the tide went.

To be continued…..

A/N:I know this ended on another cliffhanger but soon things will really heat up, no pin intended on Demon's part. I really don't know how I feel about this story, but I am still working on it. Sorry for a lack of action but I just wrote what I felt needed. I would thank all the people who encouraged me to keep writing this story.


	50. Chapter 50

Kazuya and Sakura tried to grasp the legend that Maya had just spoken of. Hope and Light, those were traits of the Digital World, more specifically, their own secondary traits. They had all gotten them, two for each. However, they had yet to use them. Their first had led them to the Ultimate stage. As powerful as it is, it still paled in comparison to the strength that Demon possessed.

"So what does it mean?" Kazuya asked about the legend. Grand as it sounded, it still held some cryptic tone to it, archaic and hard to understand.

Sakura could understand it to a point. "Well Hope and Light, that's you and me." At least they got that part down, the rest not so much.

"Darkness shall eclipse the sky. Spires pointing to the heavens high. Only Darkness can stem the tide. But even then in the shadows they bide. Hope and Light shall shine."Chiisi suddenly recited the poem that Maya spoke. The other's remained silent as Chiisi continued to speak. Something in the air just seemed to befit him. "The first part relates to Demon, he's using the powers of darkness to make himself stronger, in a sense eclipsing the skies. The spires are self explanatory."

Someone felt like commenting and Jun was the one if by the side. "Anyone finding it weird a kid like him is acting all philosophical?" She asked aside to Sho.

"Honestly yes," Sho adjusted his glasses, "but someone has to make sense of it, and he is Knowledge."

That was as much of an acceptable answer they could possibly get, so they rolled with it.

"Hope and Light are you two," He said directing to Kazuya and Sakura, "and Darkness is me." Chiisi finished. "Is that it Maya?"

The girl blinked at the bearer of Knowledge's words." Yes." She just said, trying to hide her surprise. Chiisi was indeed bright, very bright, but that could attribute to his mixed blood. "You three are the key to stopping Demon."

"But what are they supposed to do?" Fairydramon asked, "We're the only ones who can fight," She didn't mean to sound like their partners were useless, but in all honesty, with the way things were, they couldn't really do much. "Without the digivices we can't evolve." Fairydramon's eyes wandered as she noticed a scruffy, gray shape slunk around sniffing at the ground. Gazimon's eye's lit up as he spied his cigar pile and with a grin, he mouthed it. "Hey Fairydramon, a light?" It then dropped from his mouth as he felt a sharp tap on his head.

"This is serious! Focus on something other than your oral fixation!" Fairydramon bellowed, annoyed with the rabbit's constant smoking. Labramon as well for she put a paw to her nose the moment Gazimon brought up the tobacco stick.

Wanting to impress his girl, Gazimon sadly set the cigar down, and tried to think of a question to make it important. "So uh, Kazuya," he stammered, turned to his partner, just to look as if he understood the situation, "you got a plan?"

It came so suddenly to him, so Kazuya had to think of something good. "Oh yeah." He trailed off, he needed a plan; they were expecting it of him. "Well I think we should." A rumble of the earth made him pause. Just off to the side, a piece of the ceiling crashed onto the floor. Thankfully no one was hurt, but they had to act fast. Another tremor made Gazimon jump, jump right into his cigar pile.

"My babies!" He cried, only to notice smoke angrily trailing from Fairydramon's nostrils. Quickly Gazimon wrapped himself around Kazuya's leg. "You okay partner!" He displayed dramatically.

Kazuya raised his eye, "Yeaaahhhh." Kazuya drooled, the looks of everyone before him, determination, trust, lastly that came from Chiisi. "The boy himself had a plan as well, and they needed Kazuya, their leader to rally them all together. "I think we need to head above.

"What!" Sho and Penguinmon exclaimed in unison.

"I know he's big, I know he's strong, but we're sitting ducks here." Kazuya made them realize, especially Penguinmon and Sho. They couldn't stay here. "Look I don't understand that legend much, but I know that if we go up there we can do something about it." That was as their plan if anything, they had no other way.

"I think the boy is right." Don Guil agreed.

"Donny you can't!" Gatomon protested, "You'll be killed!" She cried with the utmost concern for her employer. Although from the sound of her voice, it was more than that.

Don Guil comforted her with a claw upon the felines furry shoulder, "This is my city, I won't let it fall." Don Guil was adamant in what he said.

There wasn't much to say, they didn't need another rumble to tell them what to do.

"Maya can you take us outside?" Asked Sakura.

Random teleportation seemed to be the normal form of teleportation for them. So Maya could remedy that. "Please be wary, this is the toughest trial you have encountered thus far." That much rang true, yet a tougher trial lied ahead. "_Even if they defeat Demon, would they be ready to face him?_" She couldn't think like that, they would stop him before he was revived. The dark one would not return to the Digital World. Of course if he did, would they have the strength to stop him. The only way her master was able to defeat him was the expend all of his strength. Her eyes caught the one who could somehow sense her distress. It wasn't Sakura, well Sakura did feel something, but the other was Labramon.

"_What are you to me? To all of us?_" Labramon's mind asked about herself and the other digimon.

Maya stared back at the canine, "_After this is over._"

A silent agreement between the two of them was made. And in a pink flash of light, the random teleportation commenced.

XXX

Demon continued his assault upon the dome as he attempted to shatter it. So far it didn't seem to be working. The demon lord unleashed all of his might against the barrier of light, but so far it had only caused a small crack. Nevertheless, it didn't deter the evil one. Demon kept going and going, until he heard something give. A loud crack gave out, and sure enough it showed upon the barrier. The small hairline that had formed had now spread and stretched beyond its normal size. Demon laughed with triumph. This was it! Taking his large fists, he grabbed hold of the cracked opening that formed. Without so much effort, he pulled away upon the barrier until more cracks started to form. They spread toward the whole of it, until it soon collapsed away much like glass. Now the manor remained defenseless. Demon clenched his fists, ready to smash the manor to pieces.

"Demon!"

Upon his name being mentioned, Demon turned his head at the sound of his voice. He face contorted in a grin as he saw the red Rookier before him. "Ah Don Guil, so nice to see you." He greeted in mock cordiality.

Don Guil stood there, Gatomon at his side. The young mob boss simply straightened his robe. He still had composure to keep, and he couldn't show fear, even towards Demon. Not that he was afraid. He was used to handling tight situations such as this. Sometimes he held "meetings" with individuals similar, but not exactly close to Demon's ferocity.

"I wish I could say the same your lordship." Don Guil mocked with his own little grin.

Demon could sense the seething disrespect towards him, not that it mattered, the little Rookie would die anyway.

"If I may ask," Demon kept his own composure. Although part of him wanted to tear Don Guil limb from limb, he felt it appropriate to lead into that, "why do you feel the need to defy me? Had you just kept in line, you could have prolonged your insignificant life."

Gatomon gasped and kept close to her lover. He had just been given a death threat, and seeing as they were both a Champion and a Rookie respectively, they would be no match for him in a fight. But still, Don Guil didn't seem to be afraid. Straightening his robe, he dusted himself off, and flashed a cocky little grin at the demon.

"Now that is where I have to correct you my dear Demon." Don Guil began, "Firstly, I hardly view myself as insignificant. In fact, I rather find myself a necessary cog in the wheel of fate. Secondly I was never loyal to you. I want to stress that to a point. Now I admit I may have gotten a bit flowery in my praises to you…..thinking back it was rather embarrassing of me. Thirdly," Don Guil looked above, right into the evil eyes of the monster, "This is my city, and I am sure as hell going to defend it."

Gatomon flashed proud and happy grin. Her boss still was the same as ever. Demon himself fetl pleased, pleased enough to laugh that is.

"My, such a brave front you have put up! A nobleman to the last." Demon's jovial mood vanished. "But I'm afraid this is very your little cog breaks!"

Despite the threat, Don Guil hardly seemed fazed. "I wouldn't say that Demon. For you see I have help in high places."

Demon raised an eye as he saw this so called "help", stepped into view. Demon suddenly found himself pleased again. "My, my, so many pests drawing right towards me."

Jun and Labramon looked on with determination towards the demon lord, where as their respective partners couldn't shake off their nervousness.

"Motimiya's plan had better work." Jun muttered.

"Don't worry it will!" Labramon snapped, annoyed at the girls constant griping, "Right Sho chan?"

Sho couldn't deny he had no faith that this plan would work, he was scared out of his wits. Penguinmon was the same way. Yet, despite the little bird's shivering, he still stood by his partner.

"_I'll protect you Jun!_" Sho couldn't here Penguinmon's thoughts, but he knew that was what he was thinking.

Faking a smile he responded to his digimon, "Sure partner." This provoked a yip of joy from Labramon.

To Demon, this was more amusing than ever. They would all die by his fire, or crushed into oblivion. He wasn't picky. Yet he noticed something, there were only two humans, and two chosen digimon.

"_NeoDevimon!_"

"_Yes my lord?_" The voice of his cloned minion answered back.

"_Find the remaining pests._" Demon ordered.

"_It will be done._"

With that taken care of, Demon could concentrate on more important things.

XXX

Chiisi had never felt so uncertain in his life. He knew the plan, but he didn't know if he could do it. Well to be honest, Kazuya hadn't really thought of the plan in its entirety. There were still some kinks to work out. Mostly they just had a hunch and they decided to go with it. Here they were, the dark tower loomed above them, like some kind of forbidden obelisk. The more the boy stared at its black coloring, the more it filled him with dread. The darkness radiated around it, and flowed towards him. It called to him, beckoned to him, it wanted him.

"You okay kid?" DemiDevimon asked.

The question brought Chiisi back to reality. The boy knew his digimon could sense the same feeling that emanated from the spires.

"Chiisi?" Sakura asked the same question. Being of the opposite element of her cousin, she knew how he felt. She too could feel the darkness and it filled her with dread as well. For her, the dread was simply because she was of light. For Chiisi, she could only imagine it fit with what had happened to him. He was afraid of himself. Of whom he was, and what he could become. It nearly made her reach out to him, just out of comfort.

"Okay, now we just need to figure this out." Kazuya exclaimed. He scratched his chin as he considered the possibilities. They were outside, and well down below it had seemed all so clear, then when they went to the surface, the plan would simply come together. That wasn't how it came together so easily.

Fairydramon stood by her partner, ready to fight if need be. Not that it would matter, seeing as they were currently handicapped in the evolution department. Gazimon looked pretty much bummed, by the evolution situation, but due to the fact he was currently cigarless. He had grown so used to them, those little addictive sticks. Fairydramon almost looked guilty as she saw how forlorn he looked. There was a chance the manor was completely destroyed, along with the underground tunnel, and the cigars with it. Fairydramon shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking of those things, she didn't smoke. But why did she seem so unhappy Gazimon was unhappy? It didn't make much sense save for….okay, she really stopped herself there.

The last one was Maya, the mysterious maiden who had aided them every step of the way, or at least provided an enigmatic spot of assistance now and then. "Chiisi knows what his heart tells him." She spoke, her tone becoming a regal spot of wisdom.

"But what is he supposed to do?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah I'm confused on that one." Kazuya added.

Fairydramon simply stood by with no question of her own, whilst Gazimon sighed and muttered "cigar".

Indeed, Chiisi knew what his heart was telling him. Kazuya, Sakura, and himself, the three of them were the key to stopping Demon's plans. Chiisi looked back at them, his friends and family, and he grinned. "Don't worry, we'll win." He spoke with reassurance. DemiDevimon shared in that reassurance. Likewise he looked back to his fellow digimon, both serious and sullen. That meant Fairydramon and Gazimon respectively. Chiisi hesitantly placed a hand upon the cold stone. It sickened him to the touch. The darkness pulsed more than ever now. That sick feeling vanished the moment he felt a comforted claw clench down on his shoulder.

"_You aren't alone kid._" DemiDevimon's eyes spoke those words.

Chiisi smiled back at the little bat. They were partners, both children of darkness. Whatever happened, they would face it together.

"You will not ruin Demon sama's plans!" Everyone stopped as they heard the voice.

They all turned to see the descending shape of NeoDevimon coming towards them. This was the only thing that snapped Gazimon out of his tobaccoless slump. Of course he and Fairydramon both knew that they wouldn't be able to do a thing.

"Stay with the children." Maya instructed. The robed girl looked above, her arm blocking the pair from moving towards the incoming demon.

The rabbit and the dragon respectively knew they could just go past her, but the movement she presented gave off enough authority that just told them "_stay put!_". So they did. Kazuya and Sakura were at a loss at what to do. Chiisi on the other hand kept his ground and kept his hand on the tower, or spire, or whatever word applied to it correctly.

"Come on kid concentrate!" DemiDevimon cheered his partner on. As much as he wanted to at least try to fight that ripoff to the Devimon name, he knew where his loyalties lied. Not towards his battle lust, but his partner.

Chiisi didn't know what to do; all he did was concentrate focus hard. NeoDevimon was perplexed as he noticed the small boy with his hand on the spire. All he saw was an open chance to attack.

"This is far too easy!" He exclaimed as he felt the battle lust rising within.

While Gazimon and Fairydramon stood ready to defend their partners, Maya was the one to step forward. "You will not pass abomination." Maya stated firmly, but lightly. Abomination was right. Digimon were not meant to be created in such a manner. NeoDevimon could see the girl's bravery. For a moment he was confused. She wasn't one of the Digidestined. Despite her human appearance, something seemed, not right about the form before him. That didn't matter to him. Whoever or whatever got in his way, he would kill them. His claws outstretched, he dove down. The girl would be the first. Yet as he dove in, he saw a small glow in her palm. A pink light formed, first a ball. The ball quickly grew as Maya tossed it toward the deranged, fallen angel. The ball struck NeoDevimon right in the chest. Now from the size, it didn't appear to do much in the long run, at least that was the expectation NeoDevimon got. That is until he felt a crackling pain that spread throughout his body. The pain was so intense that his wings began to falter, and he crashed to the ground.

"W-w-what did you d-d-do?" He managed to ask as he pain continued to surge within him. Pink electricity crackled with each attempt to move.

Maya said nothing. She only stared at the dark creature. She stood by, ready to strike again, but even she didn't know how long she could keep this up. Her attacks only worked because this digimon was forged from darkness, her opposite. Likewise, darkness could affect her in a similar fashion.

Chiisi continued to concentrate upon the dark tower. His mind focused as he felt the darkness blanket around him.

"_Please help me._" He beckoned to it.

No response came. He was the prince of the element, the heir, as much as he hated that sound.

"_Please, my friends need help. We have to win!_" He called again, still very afraid of the unknown substance that clouded his site. His anger began to rise within. Why was it ignoring him? He wanted help, they all needed to win this fight.

"_I am your prince! Obey me!_" He ordered to it forcefully. He didn't know that else to say other than that.

The darkness apparently answered, as it felt its prince's will. Chiisi could feel it growing, but it felt…different. The darkness was surging, just like wave.

"_We obey our prince!_"

Then without warning, the darkness spread. Chiisi could feel it covering him on all sides.

"Chiisi!" He heard the cries of everyone around him, their expressions changing into ones of shock.

The darkness covered everyone as they sank further in. Chiisi was the only one conscious.

XXX

"Evil Inferno!" Demon's flames jutted from his palm.

Sho had the right idea to run. "Whose idea was this again!" He shouted as he ran from the oncoming inferno.

Jun gritted her teeth, "I'm going to kill Miyamoto!"

So far this plan seemed more stupid than initially thought of. They had no means of fighting Demon, yet here they were, dodging like madmen and madwoman. The digimon even were in the same boat as well. At these times, Jun and Sho could really see and feel that their partners had been switched. Penguinmon was running around like a fowl with its head cut off, where as Labramon was busy dodging to the best of her ability. It made sense seeing as the canine had greater agility and a body more built for combat. Yet even if they seemed better suited for another, Jun knew Penguinmon was meant for her, as was Labramon to Sho.

Two Rookies against a Mega was suicide. Yet that didn't seem to faze Don Guil in the least. The Rookie opened his maw, "Pyro Sphere!" A large fireball launched from his mouth, smacking right into Demon's chest. Of course, the attack did nothing.

'Eh I'm not surprised." Don Guil shrugged. He knew he could really do nothing against this kind of foe; he just wanted to show some of his stuff. Gatomon was in a similar predicament. Her hypnotism attack would be useless. Her only other attack required her to get close to her opponent, and that would be once more, useless in the long run.

Demon knew they were all feeling useless. They could do nothing against him. It made him chuckle. So humorous they were. But the game was done, he had grown bored of them, and it was time to end it. He raised his fist up, ready to launch another "Evil Inferno". But then he suddenly stopped. Something had stirred, something was amiss. A balance had been shifted. The darkness, it no longer had a prominence in the great struggle between it and light.

But where was it coming from?

He could feel it there. Off in the distance, near the spire. It dawned on him, these were just distractions. Wherever the other pests were, they had caused this to happen. Unfortunately, that would be the least of his worries.

"What the heck is that?" Sho fearfully called.

Labramon stopped in her tracks, and Penguinmon's shivers grew larger.

"It's the bad smell." Labramon whimpered. The bad smell, that was something that she hadn't said in a good while.

Penguinmon could feel his feet freezing to the ground. "Something scary is coming." He whimpered likewise.

Everyone stopped as they could see it. A black wave rushed over instantly, covering everything in its wake. They had barely any time to react as they were drowned in it.

XXX

Chiisi sat there, floating in the endless abyss. Where was he? Where was he going? No answer came. He was all alone.

"Kid?"

No he wasn't. DemiDevimon floated there in the dark with him. The boy turned to his partner, his eyes both uncertain, and blank.

"I'm scared." Chiisi spoke.

"Scared?" DemiDevimon answered back, confused for he enjoyed the darkness.

"The darkness, it scares me."Chiisi admitted, "I don't want to be a part of it."

Chiisi still had yet to accept himself. It made sense seeing all that had happened to him.

"I understand kid, but I think this happened for a reason." Strangely he felt calm in this dark realm. Chiisi was the bearer of Knowledge, so it would appear that it would somehow shine off on him, well darken was probably a better word.

"Reason?"

"The legend that Maya mentioned. I mean think about it."

Chiisi felt himself growing lighter; the darkness itself seemed to form a comfort around him. This was just like the legend told to them.

Now all that was left was for Hope and Light to shine. But how could they in this darkness?

XXX

"Well this is new." Said Kazuya.

Gazimon sighed as he hung in midair. "First my cigars, and now this. Can the day get any worse?"

Fairydramon let out a grumble. "You and your cursed cigars. Can't you think of something else besides them?" Fairydramon regretted her words as she noticed Gazimon taking notice of her, "Nevermind." She muttered.

Sakura herself sighed. This day hadn't gone well. "I hope Chiisi and DemiDevimon are okay." Just like her kind spirit, she thought of others first before herself.

"I'm sure their fine. I don't think this place will get them down, I know I'm not." Just as his own trait, Kazuya was full of courage.

Yet they each had other traits, traits that had yet to shine.

"Well this is hopeless." Sakura realized it. "Were trapped here, Demon is all powerful, I don't see a way out of this." It was all of a sudden that these feelings came, but to Sakura, it felt as such."

Kazuya couldn't believe it. "Where do you get off talking like that! We'll get out of this I know it!" The boy shouted determinedly. "Look I know it's tough now, but we have to keep going!"

For a second, Gazimon perked up from his previous state. "That's the Kazuya I know!" He shouted. "Bah and look at me! All moping about myself. Heck! Once I get out of here, I am going to smoke till I can't see straight!" Gazimon cheered.

Kazuya grinned and gave a sweatdrop. "Well other than the smoking comment, I agree with ya whole heartedly buddy!" The two boys gave each other a high five, grasping hands together in a display of comradeship.

That much brought a grin to Sakura's face, just as it did to Fairydramon. That was something else that Kazuya held. He was an optimist, always holding out for hope. Sakura knew they had to get out of this, Fairydramon silently agreed. It wasn't for the act of beating Demon, for her, it was concern for those whose lives hung on the balance, that and the fate of the entire Digital World. This darkness had spread too far; it needed the warmth of light to counterbalance it.

They could feel that feeling inside them spark for a mere moment. They wouldn't give in, they couldn't.

XXX

Chiisi felt it. There was a light, twin lights shining within this darkness he had created.

"_Kazuya! Sakura!_" It was them, it had to be!

The darkness, just like in the legend, it had spread and Hope and Light was starting to shine. It needed more. They had to break through. But they needed more of the opposite to bring about the greater light.

"_Guys, don't give up!_"

Chiisi willed the darkness more. It grew and grew, targeting a specific source.

XXX

Kazuya and Sakura could feel it growing. The darkness had surrounded them on all sides, choking them. For a moment they shuddered. But they kept their hope alive, and their light warm. Gazimon and Fairydramon put their hand upon their respective partners.

_Thump, _There was a heartbeat.

"_What was that?_" Kazuya thought.

"_Was that?_" Sakura thought likewise.

_Thump thump_

Gazimon and Fairydramon felt it as well. They were heartbeats, four of them, human and digimon could feel each other. The digivices began to shine for the first time since the dark towers rose, and upon them, shone the symbols of Hope and Light. A yellow and pink light emitted within the darkness and soon all was bathed in its warmth.

XXX

Instantly, the darkness peeled away, revealing all that had had been just as before. Demon found himself back outside, as did the other's.

No one asked on what had just happened. The question had grown rather redundant. The only source that directed their attention was the two glowing figures in the air. One was bathed in yellow, while the other was pink. Something else they noticed, or rather the digimon felt. The scent of darkness had left the air.

The two lights shone brighter.

"What are they!" Demon shielded his eyes as he felt the burning light.

Unbeknownst to them, each light held two shapes, both a human and a digimon. Though now, the two shapes grew closer together, forming into one.

"**Gazimon! Jogress Warp evolve!**"

"**Fairydramon! Jogress Warp evolve!**"

Gazimon and Fairydramon shouted high and mighty as their evolution taking place. Data piled upon data, reshaping into better suited forms. But it wasn't just data that added on. Something else or rather somebody else went along with them, their partners.

"**KnightGenkimon!**" The yellow light died away, revealing an armor clad figure. Unlike the silver metal of the previous forms of Genkimon, this Genkimon was clad in the same silver armor, yet no trace of gray fur showed, save for the mouth that poked out of the mask, which had now become a helmet, only more smooth without the fang like pointers. The ears even has their own armor, becoming apart of the helmet. A muscular shape still remained, the armor perfectly fitting to the build. The helmet still held the blue jewel as did the gauntlet gloves and boots. Additionally a black belt was held with a sapphire jewel belt buckle. The blue eyes had become more of the aforementioned color of the jewels. Behind his back, a set of what appeared to be energy flowed, three streaks of blue forming a set of two.

"**Celestialdramon!**" The pink light revealed a humanoid shape. The digimon still had a draconic shape. In fact, it was more or less humanoid in appearance, completely loosing the bestial qualities. Save for the tail and draconic face. Her antennae had grown shorter, no longer like bangs. Still, six wings remained. Her tiara had become a headdress, spread out with lavender colored hair. A purple dress flowed around her, wrapping around her claws and talons jut as her last form. Also it covered an impressive cleavage. The last feature of this form was the long rod she held in her claws. It was black like the night sky. A series of rainbow jewels encrusted all the way up. The top was an orb, as starry as the sky above.

Everyone stood below in shocked awe at the two new digimon. The prophecy had been fulfilled.

A/N: Well this is finally done. A big battle is coming up so expect a lot of action. Still I feel this could have been better. Oh well, I am going to be finished with this, and then I can put it away. After Demon there is one more story arc. Well anyway, onto the Mega forms of Gazimon and Fairydramon. I simply wanted to combine Warp evolution and the Biomerging seen in Season 3. I rather liked the way Tamers portrayed the Mega evolutions. Of course Biomerging is not a term in the Adventure universe, so I imply came up with Warp Jogress. Crappy I know but I couldn't think of anything else.


	51. Chapter 51

Demon didn't know what to make of it. This power he felt from these two new digimon…it was….he would say indescribable, but no, that wouldn't be the correct term. Incredible was more like it. Even as they stood, power radiated from them, as if they were not even trying. This wasn't from mere Ultimates, this was the power of a Mega!

The Digidestined below confirmed it with their analyzers.

Digimon: KnightGenkimon

Level: Mega

Attribute: Virus

Type: Holy Knight

Attacks: Aura Sword, Beam Lancet, Radiant Knight

Digimon: Celestialdramon

Level: Mega

Attribute: Data

Type: Holy Dragon

Attacks: Star Fire, Agni Staff, Celestial Body

The group of assembled humans and digimon gave gasps of awe at the sight of the two Megas. Even Don Guil couldn't hold back his surprise. "Donnie. What happened?" Gatomon didn't mean to sound airheaded, but she was so surprised. Evolution of this magnitude didn't just up and happen like this.

Don Guil scratched his scaly chin. "Honestly? I don't know, my dear." He and his girl roughly had the same thoughts entirely.

The same applied to the others. Sho watched with wide eyes, as did Labramon. "Where did they come from?" Asked Sho.

Labramon sniffed the air for any sign of familiarity. "Fire…..smelly cigar smoke." Labramon took note of those particular smells in the air. They were so familiar they could only belong to….."Fairydramon and Gazimon!" The canine cried excitedly, wagging her tail two and fro.

Penguinmon flapped his flippers. "Are you sure Labramon?" Labramon nodded. "Positive! I could never forget those scents." Fire and cigar smoke fit well with the aforementioned chosen digimon.

Jun scoffed. "Just perfect." She growled. "Those two just had to be the ones to evolve first." Clenching her fists, a vein bulged on her forehead.

"J-jun? Are y-you okay?" Penguinmon nervously asked his partner. A growl was his answer, at first, that is. Jun couldn't think of a larger cliché, the main hero and his girl coming out on top, while the rest were regulated to the side lines.

"Just peachy. Keen and fine!" She gritted her teeth as she rasped. "It's not fair!"

Sho had to notice the oddness of it all. A giant demon stood by, ready to destroy them, yet he, and they, were all stricken by the awesome sight of these magnificent looking creatures. Admittedly, he felt a twinge of envy at the arrival of the two new Mega levels. One question remained. If these were indeed the evolved forms of Gazimon and Fairydramon, then where were Kazuya and Sakura?

XXX

Red filled his eyesight. Luminescent in appearance, an orb separated into pieces of rotating segments. "This is weird." Kazuya announced.

"_You said it._"

Kazuya leapt, or did something close in this strange….where was he anyway? Except for the strange sphere hovering around him, nothing but a void surrounded him on all sides, there wasn't even a trace of…..clothing!

"Waggh!" Kazuya screamed. "I'm naked!" Indeed he was. Not a scrap of clothing hung on his body. He was completely in the nude, well save for the censor blur near his um…..special area. Running his hand across his forehead, he realized his prize goggles were missing. However he didn't panic as he usually did whenever they disappeared. Wherever his clothes went, the goggles must have gone too.

"This is weird." He repeated.

"_Why are we repeating ourselves?_"

Kazuya wasn't surprised by the voice this time around. He knew who it was. "Gazimon?"

"_Yeah?_"

Yep, he was right. Darting his eyes around, Kazuya could find no trace of his digimon. "Where are you?"

"_Well….I can see the manor, and Demon._"

"Demon!" Kazuya stood ready for a battle. Then remembered that he couldn't do the fighting, Gazimon would. That and he had no idea where he was. "Ugh!" Kazuya threw his arms up in frustration. "I wish I knew what was happened."

"_Dunno. Last thing I remember, we were…._" The voice of Gazimon trailed off. "_Oh wait! I remember! I was evolving!_" That's right! The tell tale declaration of "Evolve" definitely signified some kind of evolution. But it continued to leave Kazuya perplexed. If Gazimon had evolved, then why couldn't he see his partner's new form?

"Kazuya?"

He recognized that voice. It wasn't Gazimon, but instead had a feminine tone. "Sakura?"

XXX

Sakura gazed around her new world, mysterious as it was. A void surrounded her, whilst a white sphere circled her. In a huff of embarrassment, she had discovered. Her clothing had vanished, including her bookish glasses. The latter was somewhat of a relief to her, as sometimes they made her feel like a nerd. Not to say glasses were related to nerdish qualities.

"_Sakura? Can you hear me?_" Fairydramon's voice cut through the void.

"Yes. Fairydramon where are we?" Sakura inquired. Perhaps her wiser digimon had the answer. A breath followed, sounds of uncertainty calling out amongst the blackness partially illuminated by the pink light.

"_I am not sure myself._" The dragon answered honestly.

"_Sweet honey? Is that you?_" An oh so familiar voice spoke from nowhere.

Fairydramon groaned with exasperation. "_Oh perfect, he's here._" Despite her apparent annoyance at the perverted rabbit's presence, Sakura could detect a hint of happiness in her tone. Particularly toward the end, and the blush she just knew Fairydramon's face held.

"_Eh, I know you missed me._" Gazimon suggested in his manner. Fairydramon merely scoffed, invoking a giggle from Sakura.

"Sakura?" Another voice called again, one that Sakura had called out to earlier.

"Oh Kazuya!" She apoplectically cried. "I'm sorry." She bowed, not that she was sure Kazuya would be able to see it.

"Hey, it's okay. No problem." Kazuya grinned, Sakura knew he was. "I don't take it you know what happened?"

"_I told you, Fairydramon and I evolved!_" Gazimon cut in.

"I know that!" Kazuya cut back. "I just don't get why Sakura and I are…..here." His description of "here" was vague to say. He assumed that his best friend lay in the same predicament, especially if both their digimon had evolved.

Sakura pondered the question. Last she remembered was them standing alone in that darkness, then their lights of hope and light. Then a flash… and wait! There were heartbeats! She felt two of them, her's and Fairydramon's. The heartbeats had beaten side by side; until they came closer together, synchronizing into one beat.

It dawned on her at last. "Kazuya? I think we merged with our digimon." No other explanation could be said.

"What?" Kazuya's voice echoed through the body of what was assumedly Fairydramon's, or at least her Mega form.

Sakura was about to answer, when a sudden vision appeared before her eyes. She could see Monde City before her, the dark towers still rose, but the feeling of darkness no longer wafted so furiously from them. They could see the shape of Demon before them, bewildered by the sight of the two digimon. Kazuya almost called out to his friend due to her lack of reply, but he soon could see the vision as well.

_Thump, thump_

The heartbeats commenced once more, pounding and beating in a drum like fashion, a war drum that is. Both the humans and their respective digimon could see what lay before their joined body. The power, the strength that came with these new forms, filled their resolve. At the demon's foot, their friends lay unharmed, but who knew how long that would last? They would make certain it never happened.

Four souls had become two each. And now it was time to protect all they loved. "You ready everyone?" Kazuya asked with a cocky smirk.

"_You know I am partner!_" Gazimon responded with a mental smirk.

Sakura wasn't too certain of this, but that fear quickly cast itself away. "It's time to end this!" She said determinedly. "Oh my. Was that too forceful?" She covered her mouth at her display of boldness.

"_You're fine, Sakura._" Fairydramon reassured her.

That was all Sakura needed to hear.

XXX

"Demon!" KnightGenkimon's voice called, his first form of movement since his evolution. Demon stiffened at the authoritative tone, as did the rest below. It wasn't just the light that gave off a sign of power, but the voice as well. The voice…..something about it seemed familiar, both to hero and villain.

"You have disrupted the order of the Digital World!" KnightGenkimon finished his sentence, punctuating every word. Particularly with the word "disrupted".

"Many Digimon have fallen due to the actions of you and your servants." Celestialdramon spoke next. Her voice, it held the same tone and strangeness in its pitch. "We offer you the chance to stand down and repent." Celestialdramon's voice softened near the end.

Demon couldn't conceive this. They were offering him mercy? Him? Demon? The lord of darkness and wrath? That offer would indicate soft-heartedness, mercy for the weak. The latter sparked inside Demon. Weak. These two actually believed they had a chance against him. It was both arrogant and foolhardy. But most of all, it made Demon angry.

"YOU ACTUALLY THINK YOU STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME!" Demon's explosion ignited the fires in a non-metaphorical fashion. What started as an "Evil Inferno" spread around him in a circle. The others below moved as soon as they saw the incoming flames, but they were not fast enough.

Suddenly, a vast swoop followed and the flames parted with a twirl. The humans and digimon looked up to see Celestialdramon's glorious figure shielding them from the blast. The fires seemed to avoid her shining body.

Demon only looked away for a second before he announced his attack. "Chaos!" He didn't get a chance to finish it, KnightGenkimon didn't let him. The armored rabbit dove, his energy wings flaring up as he flew. A loud _THUNK _filled the air. KnightGenkimon's metallic fist connected with Demon's mug. Before everyone's eyes, Demon flew back, crashing right into the front of the manor. Gatomon gasped at the damage, Don Guil on the other hand took it rather lightly, and not just because Demon's body had missed his study.

"Eh. I was planning on redecorating anyway." Don Guil shrugged off the collateral damage. The other digimon continued to watch in enormous awe, as did their human partners. Demon had actually been hurt, damaged. Put simply, they had actually put a visible dent on his otherwise invincible defense. Still, they just had to know, where were Kazuya and Sakura in all this?

"Those two smell different." Labramon announced. She sniffed the air, gathering up the scent of her evolved friends. Something didn't seem quite right about them, nothing evil but….different.

"What is it, Labramon?" Sho inquired.

Labramon sniffed once more. "I dunno, it's like there are both human and digimon in there."

"That's because there are." The voice surprised them all, but even more so at whom it belonged to.

"Chiisi?" Exclaimed Jun. "DemiDevimon!" Exclaimed Penguinmon, happily. Having nothing else interesting to say, those two felt like they had to say something, at the very least.

The missing boy and bat digimon looked fine, not a single scratch on them, but they both looked as if they had just gone through some sort of life-changing experience. It lay hidden well underneath their faces, but something seeped through the cracks. Chiisi further broke it, but maintained his calm composure, by speaking. "Both Sakura and Kazuya have merged with their digimon." There wasn't any other way to put it.

"Okay, how is that even possible?" Jun had to ask. It became reasonable for her to suspend disbelief in certain areas. The answer couldn't just be hand waved as the way the Digital World worked. Despite the fact this world often held no rhyme or reason for its ways; it still could be subject to law.

"I don't think it's a huge stretch of imagination." Sho spoke up. "We've already synced up with them when they become Ultimates, I think this is the next step." That explanation would be the best they could come up with, and it was the correct one. For the two digimon didn't just speak with the voice of Gazimon and Fairydramon, but with Kazuya and Sakura as well. A rumble came from the manor. Demon shook off the concrete and marble rubble that clung to the furred parts of his body. His jaw line gave a snap as he set it back into place. That actually hurt. His anger hadn't subsided, only quelled temporarily.

"So? Do you give up?" KnightGenkimon asked, his eyebrow rising up in an overconfident manner.

Celestialdramon twirled her staff, banishing the still burning flames. "We give you one final chance to surrender."

Demon rubbed his jaw. More snaps and creaks followed, still working out the kinks from the fellow Mega's punch. Hi rage began to rise, increasing in size and length. But what came out wasn't a roar, but laughter. He let out a few good chuckles as he rose to his feet. "I must admit, that impressed me to a degree. I never expected you to actually hurt me." Demon admitted. Suddenly, Demon's face lit up in a twisted expression. All around his body, a black aura surged. The aura switched from the expected view of an aura, to a flame like imagery. His muscles bulged, with the clichéd vein's popping up. "BUT YOU ARE FOOLS IF YOU THINK LORD DEMON WILL SURRENDER!"

His rage had returned to the kind best befitting a demon of wrath. The party on the ground braced themselves, while Penguinmon merely shivered with fright. KnightGenkimon on the other hand. "Blah blah, rant rant." He cupped his hand like a mouth, moving it up and down as such. "Yeah, we know you're the bad guy, you've got all this power, and you love to ham it up."

That made Celstialdramon giggle, although she didn't know how much of that was Sakura, or how much was Fairydramon. The same could apply to KnightGenkimon, the personality could go both ways as neither voice inclined or declined depending on who was in control. Demon couldn't control his rage any longer. This feeble digimon dared to mock him, and he would certainly make him pay.

"Evil Inferno!" He went for his signature attack, putting all of his rage and power within it. KnightGenkimon foresaw the attack the moment he shouted its name. As a digimon, they really were flawed in that aspect, announcing their attacks to all within earshot. It really gave away one's tactics.

"Aura Sword!" Not that KnightGenkimon was any better. Swiftly dodging with his energy wings, a sphere of blue energy formed in his palms. Grasping it, the sphere flattened into a long stream. The stream started within KnightGenkimon's grasp and extended upward, forming into its namesake. Sparing no moment, the armored rabbit dove, his weapon pulled back. Demon's flames stopped the moment he felt the pain slide down his bare chest.

A roar, a literal one echoed up from him. The dark one placed one claw against his chest, hoping to stifle the glowing wound, the same color as KnightGenkimon's weapon. From her spot, Celestialdramon flew upward, her staff twirling in her claws.

"Agni Staff!" From the rounded end of the staff, the stars held within began to twirl. A lightshow of multicolored flames emerged from the staff, forming into a funneled column of fire. The funnel circled right towered the wound caused by KnightGenkimon, drilling inside.

Demon's roars became more painful as he tried to fight it off, but to no avail. However, he wasn't down for the count yet. As KnightGenkimon prepared to launch another flurry of sword strikes, Demon swiftly retaliated with his elongated claw. The sword struck against keratin, managing to hold it off for the time being. Demon still had another free claw. As much as the wound pained him, he removed his claw, the air slightly causing the burn to sting.

"Star Fire!" Around Celestialdramon's body, five points formed around her. As the name of the attack implied, the points made a star shape with the dragoness in the center. The point immediately left their place of creation, and sped like comets, perhaps even being literal comets.

"Graggggh!" Demon grunted as he felt the collision against his fist. KnightGenkimon flashed a grin as Celestialdramon flew to his side, her staff aiding his energy blade as they fended off Demon. "Even merged with your partner, you care for me, sweet honey." KnightGenkimon flirted, still unable to shake off Gazimon's influence.

Likewise, Celestialdramon still had enough of Fairydramon's influence to roll her eyes. "Don't start please, we have more pressing matters at hand."

"Awwww, come on! I'm just complimenting ya. I can't help it if you're so graceful and beautiful."

"_FOCUS!_" Kazuya's voice echoed from within the mega digimon.

KnightGenkimon shook his head. "Right, right! Sorry." He apologized.

Within Celestialdramon, Sakura's giggle reached her. "_Well, he's still committed to what he loves._" Celestialdramon blushed at that comment.

Below, the party stood, mouths agape at the show of power. Jun in particular had to force her mouth back into her head. If this were a cartoon it would have hit the ground by now. "This is incredible!" Sho exclaimed. "They're actually beating him!"

Jun managed to put her mouth back where it should be. "At this rate I don't see a point for any of us to merge with our digimon. Miyamoto and Kodiro are hogging all the glory." Penguinmon sighed with relief. Something that Jun managed to catch. "Don't get so comfortable!" She commanded, her fist bared and ready to pound if need be.

Penguinmon nervously stammered. "B-but J-Jun, you said w-we didn't have to evolve!"

"I meant at this rate. I mean look at us! We're practically cheerleaders!" Corrected Jun.

Labramon gave her own sigh, a disappointed one. "Poo! I wanted to merge with Sho-chan." That comment alone, was enough to turn Sho red, and provoke a snicker from Jun. "I could breathe with Sho-chan, talk with Sho-chan, and just become Sho-chan." Labramon's sigh turned to a pure dreaminess. "It sounds like bliss."

Sho's face could have easily resembled a tomato's. Penguinmon said nothing as did Don Guil and Gatomon. Frankly, the three of them were starting to feel like background characters with nothing better to say. The hazard lizard and cat found Labramon's display romantic, in an oddly disturbing way. Penguinmon agreed with the disturbing part. The whole merging with one's partner seemed like a scary concept.

"GRAGGGHGGH!" Whatever worries he may have held were put on hold as Demon roared once more. The dark fiery aura surged again, symbolizing his wrath. His eyes looked more soulless than before, the pools glaring hatefully at the pair. "YOU…WILL…." A ring of fire surrounded Demon. Within the circle a star formed. Demon stood at the center, this time his attack going uninterrupted.

"DIE!" The Chaos Flare surrounded Demon, summoned at his will. The flames did not burn their master, no; the spreading fires saved that honor for KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon. The attack continued to spread upward as Demon flapped his wings furiously, sending a torrent of hot air around.

KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon attempted to dodge but they were too late, as the attack hit them. The night sky was lit up with a blaze of evil. Inside, the flame inferno, KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon tried their very best to hold on to their very digital lives. They could feel the flames spreading all around them. The pain was intense, but they were not the only ones who felt it.

XXX

Kazuya and Sakura could see nothing but red and orange before them. It clouded their vision and lit up their bodies. Although not in the mystical, friendly way, more like an "Oh my god it hurts" sort of way. Certainly it felt as such. Kazuya strained, looking almost as if he were flexing out his muscles. Sakura held her sides as she tried to contain her pain.

"This is one of the downsides of becoming a digimon!" Kazuya proclaimed.

Sakura managed to open her eyes as she tried to maintain focus. "We….can't…give up!" She declared. The child of Kindness and Light knew this battle rested on them. Failure was not an option. Likewise, the child of Courage and Hope held the same sentiments, more so, on the latter trait. There had to be a way out of this. Kazuya was determined to make it happen.

"His wound!" Kazuya suddenly declared. "Sakura! We need to aim for that wound while it's still open!"

Sakura focused her vision. Difficult as it may have been, she could see through Celestialdramon's eyes. The fire blocked most of their view, but in little peeks that the flames presented, they could still make out the glowing wound that lay on Demon's chest.

"Think we can make it?" She asked, wincing once more from the pain. Kazuya flashed his smirk, at the same time KnightGenkimon did the same. "No better way than to try!"

XXX

Back on the battlefield, KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon received their partner's mental commands. Both digimon could sense Demon's presence, the smell of darkness hung in the air like a rotten egg. "Think you can make it?" Celestialdramon asked to her companion. KnightGenkimon's grin hadn't vanished, and inside, neither had Kazuya's. "I never miss." He boldly declared.

Within KnightGenkimon's palms, the energy sphere formed again, but not into an energy sword. "Beam Lancet!" The energy shot forth in a lance-like pattern. It's target? Demon's chest. The demon lord widened his eyes as the energy emerged from the fire and barreled right into his open wound. With a roar, the attack silenced and the fire dissipated.

"Not bad, handsome." Celestialdramon flashed her own smirk at her companion's display of strength, something that KnightGenkimon blushed over. "Agni Staff!" Celestialdramon's staff emitted more of its holy fires, sending them right toward the obvious place. It only intensified Demon's pain. So far the plan worked well, and now they needed a finisher.

"KnightGenkimon go!" Celestialdramon urged. KnightGenkimon took the hint and in a moment he dove, energy sword in hand. As he dove, Demon attempted to fight off the oncoming flames, but it proved no use.

"_Little closer._" The thoughts of Kazuya and KnightGenkimon spoke in unison. They needed to move just a little more before they made the finishing blow.

"_Almost there!_" Sakura and Celestialdramon had their own thoughts on the situation. They needed to play out a little more. KnightGenkimon dove closer, his sword ready. Celestialdramon's attack started to weaken; she knew the time drew near.

"NOW!"

Celestialdramon's attack relinquished, and KnightGenkimon struck. Demon's eyes went wide as the blade entered into his wound. Small gasps escaped his fanged mouth. Twitches took over his claws, they struggled to move. Demon's body started to ripple, the close effects of the deletion process.

Nobody could believe it. They had won. Demon's body rippled more intensely, increasing ever more. KnightGenkimon smirked as Kazuya's own grew larger. "Heh! Guess this is the end for you huh? Ya bastard." Both human and digimon felt swearing would be appropriate to say. They had earned it and there wasn't any parental supervision to censor it. Above, Celestialdramon felt like a job was well done.

"_Wait!_" Sakura's voice spoke from within and Celestialdramon could feel it.

"Something's not right!" The dragoness announced.

A strangle formed in Demon's throat. Yet it wasn't a suspension of the breath. "Heh heh, hah hah." Laughter came in a resounding chuckle, but it only served as a precursor. "AHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAH!"

KnightGenkimon felt an overwhelming pressure forming. Some kind of invisible wave surged somewhere. Chiisi felt it more specifically. The young boy's eyes widened just as Demon's did. The dark aura surged over his body, his eyes glowing with a dark glint.

"What!" KnightGenkimon could feel his sword grip slipping. It wasn't slipping though; the blade was being pushed out. Demon's muscles started to flex the more the dark aura spread over his body. With a resounding invisible force, KnightGenkimon was sent flying back, his feet skidding into the ground, halting his descent.

The ill feeling came once more. To Labramon, it was the bad smell, but she wasn't the only one who felt it. KnightGenkimon felt his armor clank a bit. "Man, that's a lot of power." He murmured. Before his eyes, Demon's wound healed, just like that. Demon's already placed grin formed into a more devious looking one. He didn't say a word, not even as he lunged. KnightGenkimon barely reacted as he felt the overwhelming pressure of Demon's claw bearing down on him. Due to Demon's increased size, the pressure felt more like a two-ton boulder weighing down on him.

"KnightGenkimon!" Celestialdramon cried, concerned. Her concern wouldn't just be for herself as she quickly discovered. While his normal claw pinned KnightGenkimon, his elongated claw remained free. Its elongatedness served useful, for it only grew longer with a mere whim. The limp snaked like a rope, wrapping itself around Celestialdramon and throwing her down. But it didn't stop there; he continued to crush her body, constricting the graceful dragon till she gasped for breath. Both Mega's felt the powerful strain, as did their partners. Demon continued to laugh, increasing his grasp ever more. The dark aura continued to surge around his body, the other digidestined stood useless, or rather they felt that way.

Chiisi on the other hand, kept a close eye on Demon, his expression not holding a hint of apparent worry. His eyes scanned over Demon's colossal form, searching for something. His eyes stopped at something, focusing intensely on it. "Well, that tears it." Jun suddenly announced, interrupting Chiisi from his chain of thought.

The teenage girl had her own look of determination. Formally, it had been of worry, just as Sho, but now she held a different sentiment. Penguinmon had a nervous guess as to what Jun had in mind. "What do you mean, Jun?" Penguinmon asked, but he knew his question was a silly one. He knew the answer already.

Jun cracked her knuckles once. "I'm not going to sit on the sidelines like some kind of cheerleader. In fact, they made it painfully clear I would make a lousy one." Jun recalled the time she actually decided to try out as a cheerleader….it didn't end well, especially for the popular girl with a split lip. Practically ripping her digivice from her waist, she held it up towards the battlefield. "So I say we do something! Who's with me!" Jun looked down at her own partner digimon, shooting him a threatening glare.

Penguinmon gulped. Frightened as he was though, he couldn't stand idly by and let his friends get hurt. "I-I'm in." He stammered, but put on a brave face at the last minute.

Don Guil politely raised a claw. "Unfortunately, I am afraid my level of strength would not be adequate." Everyone knew that, but the don felt he should at least be honest about it. "But I'm certain this young man would be fine with displaying his chivalry." He of course was referring to Sho.

Sho blinked in surprise. "Me?" Labramon was quick to declare her partner suitable. "Sho-chan is the most chivalrous person in the entire world. Even if I don't know what chivalrous means." Labramon announced, wagging her tail.

"It means heroic." Sho sweat dropped. That made Labramon wag even more.

"Well you take heroic by far!" Sho wasn't so sure on that level of praise, but he knew he didn't want to stand around doing nothing. Or at least, he had a very strong feeling he and the others would fail, but he wanted to go out fighting. That was chivalrous, in a way.

The last to decide was Chiisi. DemiDevimon gripped his talons, slightly paining Chiisi, not intentionally, though. "Come on kid! Do we even need to think on this?" Chiisi didn't, but he still remained lost in thought. DemiDevimon noticed his partner's concentration. It still held a considerable focus upon Demon, more specifically, a certain part. But he couldn't dally long, so he held up his digivice.

The light of evolution shined from all three devices.

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!**"

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!**"

Demon momentarily halted his attack as he was distracted by the evolution lights. They didn't stop there however, only commenced in their radiant glow.

"**Shiisamon super evolve! Cerberusmon!**"

"**Saberdramon super evolve! Parrotmon!**"

"**Devimon super evolve! Myotismon!**"

Furthermore, Demon found himself humored in a way, humored that they would dare attempt to fight him. They all came at him at once, and he accepted it. Cerberusmon lunged with her fangs bared, and Parrotmon simply grabbed and pulled on one of Demon's nearest legs, Cerberusmon aimed for the other one.

"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon swung his whip around, striking in no particular position. Cerberusmon followed the same with her fire and Parrotmon with his electrical attacks.

Demon glared down at the pests, first amused, but slowly he found them starting to grate on him. "You little pests! You think you stand a chance against ME!"

Demon at this point clearly had no sense of an inside voice. That didn't stop the trio of digimon. It only furthered their resolve to stop the demon lord.

"Mad Dog Fire!"

"Mjolnir Thunder!"

Cerberusmon and Parrotmon screamed their attacks. They let it all out, their partners fueling and feeling their pain. A gust of wind blew as Demon sent forth another dark colored aura. The three held their ground with all their might. They wouldn't back down…they couldn't…not at this moment.

Chiisi and Myotismon looked on, both of them seeing what the other saw. "_What is his weakness?_" Chiisi thought. Demon had to have one. He knew the digimon was using darkness to merely cloak the wound.

"_He's got to be focusing it somewhere._" Myotismon reasoned. The vampire knew darkness as well as his partner, even if he primarily held his interests upon the battlefield.

The darkness continued to surge, Demon's own aura blazing wildly. There had to be something! But what? They traced it back to every fiber, every pore, any place the darkness could spread. Up! It came from above the body, farther up, the head! Yes, the head! The darkness spread from that point. Myotismon and Chiisi knew they had to hurry. Cerberusmon and Parrotmon took as many blows from Demon as they could, but they had their limits. Then they saw it, right there, a brief glow upon Demon's brow, the blue jewel.

"That's it!" Chiisi and Myotismon spoke in unison.

The vampire wasted no time as both he and his partner smirked. Demon's focus remained on the attacking digimon, he didn't see the nosferatu's fist. With a mighty thrust from both human and digimon, the punches commenced. Myotismon put every bit of strength he had into his attack, he and Chiisi.

"What!" Demon exclaimed. His fists reached up for the vampire. Doing so only quickened Myotismon's pace. He had to hurry!

_Crick!_

Then, it happened. A crack appeared. A bright glow emanated from the jewel, the same color as it. Demon let out a cry as the light spread, and then vanished. The aura vanished as if water had put it out. The remaining digimon watched in awe as a familiar shape appeared.

"GRAB HIM! HURRY!" Chiisi shouted to the digimon. The three Ultimates grabbed hold of Demon's legs and neck, wherever they stood applicable. The two Mega's stared at the area that once more lay open. The scar now revealed without the mask of darkness to cover it.

KnightGenkimon immediately formed him energy sword, as did Celestialdramon her staff. They would have to go for the big finishers.

"Celestial Body!" Celestialdramon twirled her staff around, thrusting it upon the ground. When she did, a peaceful aura spread from her body, and towards Demon. The demon lord soon felt a strange, sickening feeling spreading over him. Light, that could be the only dreaded way to describe it.

"Curse…you." He managed to croak out.

KnightGenkimon knew one last move he hadn't tried. A smirk appeared on both he, and Kazuya. His energy sword lit ablaze, as did the rest of his body. With a few twirls, the glow only intensified. Celestialdramon's attack radiated with his own, strengthening it even more.

"Radiant Knight!" With that call, he gave a few mighty swings, criss-crossing into an x pattern. Within those movements, an energy x materialized from the sword and placed itself onto Demon's scarred area. The assault didn't stop there. KnightGenkimon continuously swung his sword forming more x's. Demon sat there and took it, his body frozen in pain. The warm up had ended and now it was time for the clincher. KnightGenkimon thrust himself forward.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Demon bellowed as the sword found its new resting place. The blue glow lit the battlefield ablaze. The light filled the area like a beacon. From afar, Monde City lit up like a shining jewel, not the darkness filled eyesore that it had become. Then, it stopped, as did everyone else. This was a tense moment for all of them. Did they win? Demon's body had halted, save for a few strangled gasps.

"How? Why?" Demon asked, but to no one in particular. For there was no answer to give, especially towards one he knew the answer to. There was a rumble and a shake. All around the dark towers started to crack. The cracks grew larger until they deleted into nothing. The same applied to Demon as his mind went blank. Within moments, the mighty form deleted into bits of data, which soon flowed freely into the wind.

At that point, five glows followed. The Ultimates returning to their original forms, while the Megas splitting back into their digimon and human counterparts. All five of them didn't know how else to react. Cheers followed, congratulations even. But soon for Kazuya and Sakura, they each had two gestures, a thumbs up followed by a grin.

Another battle won, another city saved.

XXX

Demon felt himself falling. So, this was death? Deletion? Whatever it was called, it meant the same thing. Demon couldn't understand, how had these children beaten him? He, the lord of the Digital World.

"_My, you had such dreams of grandeur._"

Demon's thought came to a stop, he knew that voice. "Dagomon?"

A chill ran up his whole core. "_No other._"

Demon could feel himself stilling, his data felt ice cold, if such a thing could be possible. He felt a dark presence spread over him, looming above like a dark angel. He wanted out! He had to escape! But he could find no such escape.

"_Try as you might. You cannot flee. You have misused my ocean's dark waters. You are mine._" Dagomon spoke. "_But at the same time, you do not. Most peculiar, you have gained a form of protection from truly being mine._" Dagomon's voice didn't incline in anger; instead, a curious pitch laced his speech.

"I don't understand!" Demon bellowed. He tried to move, but that still proved useless. The demon lord struggled and struggled, going on for what seemed like an eternity. Who's to say? Maybe it was?

Dagomon let out a low but resounding chuckle. "_You shall._" A dark shadow spread over the waters, as it cradled the digitama that had settled upon the ocean's floor. All evil digimon passed through this world when they passed. Demon would be no exception.

XXX

Maya had felt the surge of darkness pass, as did Duskmon, and she smiled. The forces of light had won. Looking up, she could see no trace of Duskmon floating within view. Maya sighed. Her brother still served the evil one. The digital child pondered the fate of the coming battles. With Demon dead, the forces of evil still had the remaining two fallen angels. Then, there was him…..the one who remained bound.

XXX

"Demon has been dealt with, my master." Duskmon reported. Per usual, an unseen voice answered.

"_Indeed, the traitor couldn't control the power of darkness, and in the end, those humans and their pets defeated him._" The master gleefully spoke.

Duskmon suddenly realized something. "You planned on this happening, master?" The only answer that followed was a deep laugh. Apparently so, although it may have been a loss for darkness, yet at the same time, it served as a victory for them.

"_I can feel my power growing. Soon, my time will come._" The master realized this; his power could be felt by his servants, both loyal and disloyal to him. Maybe that was why Demon acted his betrayal so quickly.

Duskmon didn't care about those factors. Whatever the enemy was, whether it was those children, or anyone who dared oppose his master, they would soon discover who the true ruler of the Digital World was. Duskmon bowed his head reverently. "Grandracmon-sama." No longer did he feel the need to hide his master's name.

To be continued….

A/N: Well this took a long time to write. Super sorry for the weight. First off, I have to say, that I may need to take a break from this fic for a while. Not because I don't like it, I have just been writing this for a real long time, and I want to rest on it and recharge my creative juices. I am going to finish this story one way or another, I repeat I WILL FINISH IT! So I decided at the end to reveal the identity of the Fallen Angel's master. Yep, I am using Grandracmon. Now I know most people beleive it was Apocalymon the original five dd's fought, but if I remember correctly, and after reading official sources and timelines, it was never mentioned as Apocalymon. So I decided, why not Grandracmon.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and do not worry, I will return with this.


	52. Chapter 52

Lilithmon and Cherubimon felt the power surge. The entire castle rocked and shook. It quickly subsided, leaving the two Megas bewildered. However, they felt something. A cold sensation had vanished from their senses. It almost felt as if some form of loss had overcome them. They could feel it in the air, like some part of them had been put out, like the flame of a lit candle.

It hit them, the barrier. That was part of the feeling, the barrier outside had vanished. The darkness from the castle now felt unconfined. The evil air never felt more pleasant. Yet there was still a feeling of loss. Cherubimon and Lilithmon couldn't figure it out.

"He's gone."

From nowhere a figure appeared from thin air, his armored feet clanking against the stone floor. "Duskmon!" exclaimed Cherubimon. "Where have you been?"

Duskmon looked to the demon rabbit, dusting himself off as best as he could for a guy with no hands. "I've been…preoccupied for the most part. But we won't have to worry about Demon's treachery any longer."

Cherubimon's yellow eyes grew wide. "Y-y-you mean?" he stammered. Duskmon merely nodded as a response: Demon was dead. The confirmed news only made Cherubimon's purple face grow dead white. "Was it the humans?" Once more, Duskmon nodded. Cherubimon's face became even paler than it already was if that was even possible.

"T-t-this is absurd! How can those humans take down a Mega level!" Cherubimon said disbelievingly.

Duskmon glared towards him. "You're upset he was destroyed?" Cherubimon realized the double entendre of his words. Therefore, he knew he had to rectify it. "Of course not! I-I-I merely was shocked at the news of their power."

That excuse was accepted by Duskmon. He knew where Cherubimon's loyalty lied so he didn't press the matter further. "Only two have reached the level, the other three have yet to tap into their secondary traits." Duskmon clarified.

That bit of news lessoned the dread Cherubimon currently felt. Almost lessened that is. "But still they could pose a serious threat to the master's revival! If they defeated one of us, then they could very well do the same to the rest!"

Lilithmon remained silent during the conversation. Her mind stayed fixated and focused upon her tasked duty. Her hands never left the black digitama. She rubbed slowly, stroking it as if she coveted it. Oh, she coveted something all right. What she coveted was for whatever lied inside to hatch. Dutifully, the demoness had watched over it, catering to the precious egg's every need. Not even the news of the children upset her. Perhaps in the back of her mind she felt something. But any feelings she had, the master had made certain to remove any unnecessary ones, ones that would only hinder her. At least the master thought so.

"_It's time._"

Lilithmon heard it.

"_The time is near._"

The black digitama hummed with resonating energy. Its black shell briefly illuminated. "The time is near." Lilithmon announced. Emotionless as it was, it grabbed Duskmon's and Demon's attention. They noticed something and it shocked them. Even the normally stoic Duskmon couldn't believe his eyes.

Lilithmon was smiling.

Both males turned their gaze towards the digitama. It didn't take them long to realize the relevance of their comapanion's words. "So soon?" Cherubimon questioned. Duskmon strode over to the egg, observing it carefully. Underneath his mask, a grin spread mirroring Lilithmon's. "Just nearly, we are almost there."

Cherubimon felt his own fear being replaced with joy. Yet there still remained one detail. "The Digidestined will come in force." he delivered that line as a warning.

"Then we'll prepare for them." Duskmon countered. "Besides, it would be all the more interesting to see the master rise in full view, no?"

Adimitedly, Cherubimon agreed. They could see it now. The digidestined rallying forth to their stronghold. Their minds full of hope. All of it would come crashing down as they witnessed their destructor arise from his imprisonment. In the end, it all led to the same goal. It wouldn't matter how hard they fought or how hard they tried.

The time of Grandracmon's resurrection was nigh.

XXX

Monde City had seen better days. The battle had left it scarred and decimated. To the Digidestined it was business as usual, as much as they wanted to deny it. It seemed that wherever they went, destruction followed. Of course they didn't intend for this to happen. It always seemed to follow them no matter how hard they tried to avoid it. But such was the case in the life of a hero.

Don Guil made a mental note to make repairs to his mansion. He was meaning to remodel anyway. To say he was on the bad side of the Fallen Angels would be an understatement. Although Demon was dead, there was still Cherubimon and Lilithmon to contend with. Then again, Demon seemed to operate on his own terms. He never directly dealt with the other two. This little takeover seemed more of a solo job than anything else.

Still, his goals hadn't changed. The Fallen Angels had to be overthrown. With their strongest member beaten, they were at a severe disadvantage. However, it didn't mean they were entirely defenseless.

"What you thinking about, Donny?" Gatomon said as she wrapped her claw around his arm.

Don Guil chuckled. "Nothing much, just wonder what Ma would have thought of all this." His mother would have probably handled things differently. He knew that. What he didn't know was how she would handle the current guests. Despite the damage they were partially responsible for, he allowed the Digidestioned to relax within his family manor. He still needed them.

"Man!" Gazimon sighed as he lit up another cigar. As soon as he got the flame going, he puffed and drew a long smoky breath. "Now that was a fight."

Fairydramon cricked something in her neck. "Indeed." The dragoness had kept a stoic position since they had devolved. Since they had devolved from the Mega level, they had surprisingly returned to their Rookie levels. It didn't garner any complaints. In fact, it meant that they would have an easier time evolving into the next level if needed.

The other three digimon remained at their rookie levels as well, though they had gone Ultimate so much that their bodies were used to it. Sho, Jun and Chiisi relaxed their sore bodies upon the carpeted floor...or what remained of it. They felt the strain their digimon felt when they were in their Ultimate forms. Everyone except Kazuya and Sakura.

The pair were still lost in thought over what had just happened. "So, what was it like joining with your partners?" Labramon suddenly asked. Gazimon and Fairydramon looked up at the question.

"Yeah, I could ask the same about you two lovebirds." Jun snickered towards Kazuya and Sakura.

The two humans blushed and averted their eyes from one another. Fairydramon kept her head turned decidedly away from Gazimon. The rabbit took a drag on his cigar again, blowing out another heart-shaped smoke ring. He loved those shapes. "Hey, if our partners are lovebirds, I guess that means the same for us, right sweet honey?"

Although her head was turned, she rolled her eyes and grumbled something underneath her breath. Something about "hentai rabbit" and such.

"To be honest, I don't know how to describe it." Kazuya answered for all four of them. "It was like...I dunno."

"It was weird, to say the least," Sakura admitted. "but at that moment I felt more connected with Fairydramon than I had ever been."

Fairydramon at last turned her head towards her partner. "I felt the same way Sakura. I could feel you and I sharing the same body." The dragon placed a claw to her chest. "It was like being one person...yet not at the same time."

"So in other words, you don't know?" DemiDevimon interrupted. All four parties nodded their heads.

"I understand how strange it may all seem, but that is the full extent of the powers your digicores can grant you." The digidestined were not alone for they had another guest. Maya observed the five humans and five digimon. A full team of ten. This was the first time any of them had been alone together in a good while. At least without random teleportation throwing them around here and there. They couldn't really think of what to say. Labramon would look at the mysterious hooded girl with a hint of longing. Out of the whole group, Labramon felt the most connected with the mysterious lass.

"I suppose we should cut to the chase, shouldn't we?" Chiisi asked. The youngest of the group always knew what to say in such situations. The whole concept of the Mega level was interesting, but they knew the general idea of evolution

Maya of course knew they were referring to her. "I suppose you have all waited long enough." The digital girl spoke. "And with the time of the dark one approaching, now would be the best time." Everyone stood at attention to listen to the girl's words. Labramon gave her attention in particular.

Maya looked deep inside herself. Part of her felt nervous at revealing so much, but now was the best time. "As you can probably tell, I am not human."

"What gave that away?" Jun commented. "Jun!" Sho and Penguinmon snapped. "Alright, alright!" Jun shut herself up and allowed Maya to continue.

Maya waited a few seconds in case anyone else had to speak their own words. When no one did so, she continued. "I am what you could call a data child. In some ways, I am related to the Digimon that inhabit this world."

None of the group looked surprised. They had suspected much of her origin to be honest what with the enigmatic agenda and all. "Once I served the Golden God of this world along with my eleven brothers and sisters. Each of us were connected to the elements of the Digital World, the traits your digicores exhibit." Maya placed her hand upon her chest. "I corresponded with the element of light."

Sakura now understood why she had the most connection with Maya, as did Fairydramon. It made sense that the one who represented her element would be able to communicate with her on such an extended level.

"The Golden God was known as Huanglongmon. Under his rule, the Digital World flourished and all was peaceful. My fellow Data Children and I served him faithfully and spread his light throughout the world." The joy that had appeared upon Maya's face suddenly fell into a dark grimace. "But that changed when 'he' came. From behind a wall of fire, a great evil emerged, spreading throughout the Digital World. Many digimon were overtaken in the evil's wake, warping them into monstrosities. As the corruption rose, the evil took a name, Grandracmon, the dark lord. No digimon could stand against his evil touch and soon Grandracmon had an entire army under his thrall." Maya played back everything within her mind. Her memories of that day played back in her mind. She tried to suppress them, forget about them, but she couldn't as much as she tried.

"Grandracmon made his intentions clear: total domination of the Digital World. With his army, that goal was close within reach."

"Kind of seems cliché. I mean was that his whole plan? Just emerge from the whatever and take over? I'm sorry, but does he even have a backstory?" Jun commented again. When she noticed everyone glaring at her second interruption, she apologized. "Sorry...please continue."

"Many good digimon arose to challenge Grandracmon, but sadly, many lost their lives or were enslaved along with the others. Three holy digimon led the charge, but they too fell prey to Grandracmon and were twisted into the digimon you now know as 'The Fallen Angels'. They became Grandracmon's top enforcers, imposing his will and destroying anything he deemed. The carnage spread like wildfire across the world. Huanglongmon would not stand idly by and watch his people suffer. So he decided to fight Grandramon himself."

Maya could see the golden digimon before her eyes, leaving his holy realm to do battle with the evil one. "They battled for many days and nights," Maya found herself repeating Wisemon's words. To the Digidestined it was deja vu. "but neither could overcome each other." Maya's face fell as the final memory of the battle played itself out. "In the end, Huanglongmon had no choice but to expend all of his energy to defeat Grandracmon. Although he didn't have the power to destroy Grandracmon, Huanglongmon was able to separate hie body and soul. His body was imprisoned within a black digitama while his soul behind the wall of fire from whence he sprang. The Digital World was saved, but at the cost of my creator's life."

"That's the same tale Wisemon told us." said Kazuya.

Maya responded with a nod before she continued. "However, before his death, he left his twelve digicores and created the four Harmonious digimon to govern in his place. It took time, but the Digital World had managed to return to its former state. Yet we Data Children knew it would not last. Grandracmon's spirit, although bound, remained a lingering threat. So we took it upon ourselves to safeguard the future of the Digital World."

Maya's eyes focused upon something. At first, it appeared to be the children, but all five of them could see that the child's gaze wasn't directed at them. Indeed it was five, but not five humans.

"Although our creator was gone, we still had hope his data survived." Maya's tone turned to one of longing, but it passed in that moment. "As you know, when a digimon dies its data is usually reconfigured and they are reborn anew, almost to how your race believes in reincarnation."

"And so you thought the same thing happened To Huanglongmon?" Chiisi inquired.

Maya held her head down for a brief interval. "I admit, partially it was out of selfishness, we longed to see out creator again, so much to the point that we sought to recreate him. Through the digital limbo we searched. So many souls had yet to be born, but we managed to find what we were looking for." A small grin flashed upon the digital girl's face. "However, instead of one packet of his data, we found it had split into five. So we gathered that data and began to work. With the data split as it was, we couldn't recreate Huanglongmon. So we mixed it in with fresh new data and created five lifeforms with it."

"Us!" Labramon suddenly piped up. Everyone looked to her in surprise. The digital dog looked around her, sensing all of the curious eyes. "Well...she said five...and there are five of us and stuff." Labramon felt suddenly sheepish as she felt their stares boring into her.

"Labramon is correct. The resulting digimon that were created were you five. However, you didn't hatch quite yet. Huanglongmon's data would sync you with his digicores allowing you to evolve and combat Grandracmon's forces...but we ran into a problem. You all had the capacity for evolution, but you would be limited as the rest of digimon kind in terms of evolution. Your unique data pattern put a block on any digimentals preventing their use. So we turned to a different means of such."

Maya's eyes switched from the five digimon to the five humans. Underneath her breath, Jun had muttered something about getting some recognition. "The human world wasn't unknown to us. It was from their communication and technological data that this world sprung."

Sakura looked up, hesitant to speak. She had something to say, but she was uncertain if she should. Normally she would have looked to Kazuya or Fairydramon or Chiisi for permission of sorts. Now however, she felt compelled to speak for herself. "It wasn't just that, was it? A while back, a Piddomon," Sakura shuddered at the mention of that evangelist's name. Something about the name "Piddomon" implied something else. At least the "Piddo" part, "he said that several digimon fled into the human world and lived amongst them."

Maya responded with a nod. "He was right. During the battle, several angelic digimon fled the Digital World for safe haven in the human world, taking on the forms of the beings who lived there. They integrated into society easily with some even interbreeding. To this day, some humans, such as you Sakura, have digimon blood."

Chiisi's face went dark at the mention of digimon blood. He knew whatever blood Sakura had was diluted by this point. Unlike himself, who was purely a half-breed...and a dark half-breed at that.

"So you were looking for humans with digimon blood?" Sho asked. Maya shook her head lightly. "Not specifically, it was by chance Chiisi and Sakura were chosen. What mattered to us were the compatibility of traits."

"Traits?" Sho asked again.

"As you may know, there are twelve traits or elements of the Digital World. Courage, Friendship, Knowledge, Sincerity, Love, Reliability, Hope, Light, Kindness, Darkness Miracles, and Destiny. These traits are what the Digital World is founded upon. So for years we searched for the right humans who would bear the traits or rather the digicores that represented them. By some chance, we managed to find five humans who each held strong connections with two traits."

The digidestined knew they were being spoken about. Especially the five remark.

"After we scanned you, so to speak, we programmed your specifics into the unhatched digimon, however something strange occurred, something we didn't expect."

"They hatched?" Jun spoke out of the blue again. This time it didn't garner any looks.

Again Maya's gaze switched to the digimon once more. This time however, her gaze took on a more poignant tone. "It was unexpected, suddenly we had five rambunctious baby digimon running around. I took it upon myself to care for the five that had hatched. My brothers and sisters...weren't child compatible." A light chuckle escaped her. "Gazimon." her eyes darted to Gazimon. "You were always a mischievous little Zurumon, getting into everything." Her eyes trailed to the smoking cigar in his muzzle. "And still are, apparently."

Gazimon knew what she referred to. Blowing out a trail of smoke, he said what by now had become his catch phrase, "Hey, I know what I like." Then he continued to smoke. Although she had much more to say on Gazimon's new habit, she had more important matters to attend to. She wasn't the only one who had reservations on Gazimon's addiction. A certain pair of reptilian eyes flashed a disgusted glance at the smoking roll of digital tobacco.

"I remember when you were just a Hatchmon." Maya's words drew Fairydramon to her. "You were the best behaved of the bunch, always listened to rules and did as you were told. Zurumon often trailed along after you." That last sentence made sense to Fairydramon.

To the hedonistic Gazimon it made sense as well. "Heh, I guess we were made for each other, eh?" Puffs of smoke escaped Gazimon's mouth as he chuckled. Fairydramon rolled her eyes and said nothing.

"Penguinmon was always the same, even as a Punimon." Maya spoke of the bird digimon next. "Timid, a bit afraid of his own shadow."

"Well, that's not a huge surprise." Jun commented. Penguinmon fell emotionally. Apparently, all of his faults were inter-grained since birth. "But you were always loyal to the ones you cared about. And that I think outweighs anything." Maya added when she noticed the downtrodden expression upon his feathery face. It certainly worked, as Penguinmon perked right up.

Next she turned to DemiDevimon. "Admittedly, as a Poyomon, you were trouble. You always had a fondness for teasing the others, and generally making a mess of things." she spoke somewhat humorously. DemiDevimon smirked, reclining back upon Chiisi's shoulder. "Sounds pretty sweet to me."

Labramon tilted her head as a memory replayed. It was of a dream she had a while back, but something about it ached like a long forgotten memory. "Hey!" Labramon growled as it came to light. "You said I would pop like a balloon, didn't you!" DemiDevimon thought for a moment. "Sounds like me." he answered.

Upon looking at Labramon, a poignant tone even more so than any other poignancy she had shown, became evident. "You were the same, even as a Paomon, always hungry and as sweet as ever." Maya sighed as the memories overtook her. "Those were happy times for us. In short time you all grew into Rookies, those were happy times, but they didn't last. For you see, one of us strayed." Maya's expression grew dark. "As I've told you, each of us Data Children represented a Digital World trait. Just as I was Light, there was another who bore the mark of Darkness."

The mention of darkness got Chiisi's attention. To be honest, he held a mixed feeling in regards to darkness. His body stiffened upon the mere mention.

"Grandracmon continued his corruption, even as a spirit, unfortunately one of my brothers fell to his stain. My former brother led an attack that day, along with Grandracmon's surviving forces." Maya's face darkened once more. More ill memories danced about. "The dark lord had spoke to him from beyond the firewall and twisted his mind to his liking. The data child of darkness was no longer my brother, but a servant to the evil one." If it were even possible, her face became as dark as night itself. "I was the only survivor of my kin." Everyone either gasped or gave a sympathetic eye. Chiisi and Sakura more so. For Sakura couldn't comprehend anyone betraying their family, while Chiisi was only reminded of the corrupting effect of darkness.

A cough interrupted whatever else Maya had to say. It came from Gazimon who once more choked on his cigar smoke. "*cough* One question *cough*. Why don't we remember this all?" The expression on Labramon's face spoke the same thing. All of their faces did.

"I didn't want any of you to feel any sort of attachment towards me. Your duty was to your partners and nothing more. That, and I wanted to spare any remnants of the carnage of that day from your minds. I sealed you away to await your chosen humans and went into hiding. Meanwhile, Grandracmon's forces grew in power until they once again threatened the Digital World. " Looking at the assembled group, Maya said one more thing. "The rest you know is history."

Jun was the first to get up after that long speech. Honestly, they hadn't sat down for such a long time. "Wow! That was a long one." There were no complaints with that one. They all agreed. "So, what do we do now?" Sho asked. The question weighed on everyone's minds. They all had learned a great deal of Digital World history. A lot had been answered and revealed, possibly anti-climatic but it worked for such.

"We take the fight to them." Kazuya boldly proclaimed. It sounded like a spur of the moment sort of thing. "Okay goggle-boy, I would have to disagree." Jun retaliated of course. "I mean honestly, it sounds crazy." Sho thought for a moment. "Do we really need to rush this sort of thing?"

"Well, why not? I mean Maya told us who the bad guy is, so why don't we stop him?" Kazuya reasoned. It would seem that an argument was about to take place. Gazimon could see that. With a cough he arose, spewing cigar smoke from his muzzle. "Well, I'm with ya, partner *cough*" The sight was both amusing and disgusting. "I can't wait to show off my Mega form to those creeps!" Gazimon blew out a thick stream of smoke managing not to cough at that point.

Kazuya grinned, at least he had one supporter. There lay the matter of the others.

"Well arguing won't really bring a solution, will it?" Don Guil emerged from the back, questioning. "To be honest, I agree with the boy. Besides, the longer we sit around, the more Grandracmon has a chance at being revived." reasoned the Guilmon. "Look, I know this is too sudden and frankly, I think the whole revelation thing could have been handled better, but if anything we have a chance to strike."

"We?" Fairydramon questioned suspiciously. Don Guil flashed a proud smirk. "Well, I do need the Fallen Angels out of the way for my own benefit admittedly, but hey what counts is what's best for the whole world, right?" Everyone save for Kazuya, Gazimon, and Maya seemed uncertain.

"Perhaps a night of rest would do everyone a great deal of good." Maya offered. "Although time is of the essence, fighting as you are now would be unwise." That was true, after that long fight, the digimon's energy reserves were low. A yawn escaped Penguinmon who agreed with her point.

Despite wanting to finish the fight, Kazuya agreed with the data child. "Fine." he sighed. Gazimon let out a tiny cough as he went with his partner.

And so they dispersed, each to their own parts of the manor. Don Guil graciously offered them haven within his home. This would be a night of resolution.

XXX

Kazuya removed his goggles. It was the first time he had done so in a long time. The pale moon shone down through the bedroom window. It had been reserved for guests apparently, so Kazuya supposed he fit that bill, or rather they. He wasn't alone, Sakura sat beside him, the light reflected off her glasses. Of course, their digimon were present. They wouldn't leave their partner's sides. Gazimon still smoked his cigar, while Fairydramon stood beside him, clearly bothered by it. But she didn't say anything.

"We're going to fight, aren't we?" asked Sakura. She knew it was a dumb question. Kazuya was already set in his mind. "I'm sorry." Sakura quickly apologized.

Immediately Kazuya chuckled. "You always do that. Heh. It kind of bugs me." Turning around, he cracked a smirk. "But I don't really mind it."

A giggle escaped her. "Well, that is one of my faults. If anything, I think you're too headstrong." Kazuya was about to retort, but kept his mouth shut, for a moment at least. "Eh, I guess that's true. No one's perfect." The two kept silent for a while, and then Kazuya spoke again. "I'm going to fight, no matter what anyone says."

Sakura had her own retort, but she had to agree with him. "I'm with you...always."

Kazuya let out a tiny gasp at that comment. Sakura realized the double entendre that she had spoken. "Well you know...because...we're friends!" she quickly covered. Kazuya felt his emotions fall. "Oh...that's how you feel."

Wait? Was he disappointed? Sakura felt surprised for a moment. Could Kazuya really feel...no, he couldn't, could he? They had been friends since they were little kids. For goodness sakes she had a boyfriend once and he was okay with that. Of course, said boyfriend had cheated on her, which resulted in Kazuya beating the living daylights out of him. But she hadn't thought much of it; well, save for fears of what their classmates would think. That would imply something maybe.

It wasn't just that, it had been several times during the journey, when they were forced together, sharing the bond between one another. Sakura began to think, finding herself deeply immersed in her thoughts. Kazuya's image lay attached to those thoughts.

On the other side of the room, Kazuya found himself thinking of Sakura. He could pick up her body language and for some reason he felt what she felt. It had always come down to the two of them. They were the first to reach the Mega level, after all. That is, both of them at the same time.

"So, what are you two lovebirds thinking about?" Gazimon asked with a smirk, before proceeding to cough on the cigar he was puffing on.

"Ugh, must you keep sucking on that thing? You're making yourself sick." Fairydramon griped. Nonetheless, Gazimon kept his smirk when he heard the dragoness.

"Aww, you're worried." Gazimon took another puff on his cigar, this time without coughing.

Fairydramon shook her head at first upon the coughing, then vehemently replied "I'm just thinking of everyone else's' health!"

Gazimon noticed the volume of her voice and cocked his eyebrow. "Then why are you blushing?" Gazimon puffed once more. Fairydramon hid her face upon that remark, provoking a laugh from her partner and Kazuya.

"Well, like they say, we match our partners." Gazimon proudly remarked.

Fairydramon snorted a plume of smoke from her nostrils and replied with a curt. "Shut up." Yet somehow, she didn't seem that phased by Gazimon's words.

Neither did Kazuya and Sakura. Although they still had much to think about, they knew one thing, their thoughts were still on each other.

XXX

"What you thinking about, Sho chan?" Labramon asked.

The boy brought his head up and replied, "Oh, just about what Kazuya said."

To no surprise, the pair was in the kitchen. Well, it wasn't any surprise in regards to Labramon. Sho wasn't hungry, although he was worried people were going to start relating them to characters from a cartoon, he couldn't remember the name but it involved teenagers and their dog driving around solving mysteries. So far, he seemed to fit the cowardly kid with a dog character, but he wasn't a glutton. His digimon was practically two gluttons, no...more like an army of gluttons in one body. Labramon certainly showed that, and by showing that meant she wolfed down anything within reach. The kitchen had been left intact during Demon's assault and Labramon took full advantage of that. So far, seven plates were piled high and an eighth was soon joining them.

Sho chuckled at the sight. "You always have a one track mind, don't you?"

Labramon licked her plate clean and gave a burp. "What do you mean?"

Another chuckle escaped him. "All you think about is food."

The digital dog blinked and let out a merry giggle. "Well, ya know Sho-chan," Labramon's body took on a very different tone. Her rump swung with a swish of her tail, her eyes narrowed to slits along with a distinct flutter of the eyelashes. Sho watched as she leant in close...too close for his comfort, not that he was surprised by her movement. Continuously she kept sauntering forward, placing her paws upon Sho's lap.

"You know, Sho-chan; you don't have to fight if you don't want to. If any of the meanies come, I'll do all the fighting for the both of us." Labramon cooed. Her head moved in closer.

Sho could feel his body temperature rising as she moved in. Her muzzle sank in closer to his own face. "I know you would." he said. Labramon didn't stop. Her face continued to move in. The closer she moved in, the more it became apparent to the boy that she was going for a certain part of his face: his mouth. Labramon's warm breath breathed towards him. He could feel it, taste it against his tongue. The musty aftertaste of Labramon's meals burned his nose hairs. Labramon's mind was a daze of euphoria, this time not from a food induced stupor, but fulfilling something she had wanted to do for a long time. At least, traditionally. Her lips pursed, ready and waiting to move in.

However, sometimes our dreams don't come true.

"No!" Sho pushed Labramon away, stepping backwards to put a distance between himself and the canine.

Labramon stood there, confused at the action. Her furry head went to one side, then to the other. "Did-did I come on too strong, Sho-chan?" she innocently asked. "Was I supposed to do it a different way?"

Sho had known exactly what his digimon had tried to do. It hadn't been the first time she had gotten too close for his comfort. He had tried to ignore it in the past, pretend that it was all in his head, attribute it to just a form of affection that the dog was often prone to. Now though, he knew it had gone too far, farther than before. He couldn't pretend anymore, couldn't let this go on.

"Labramon..." Sho started to hesitate; he had to say this just right. Labramon's animal senses could tell something was wrong.

"What's the matter, Sho-chan?" Sho took a deep breath. He had to just come out and say it. "Labramon...I know how you feel."

Hearing that made Labramon's tail wag. "You do!" her entire face lit up like a light. "Oh Sho-chan I've waited so long to hear you say that and-"

"Labramon, it can't work out." Sho cut her off. When Labramon heard that, her face absolutely fell. "W-w-what? What do you mean, Sho-chan?"

Sho took another deep breath, which emptied into a sigh. He could see something starting to form upon her, but he couldn't sugarcoat it. "What I mean to say...Labramon...I'm a human and you're a digimon. You...me...we...I could never hold those feelings for you."

Sho swiftly shut his eyes the moment he had said that. He believed he had to be strong, that he should just let it all out. Admittedly, he had held back a tad, chalk that up to a lack of a backbone, but he at least had a pair of... something. Sho opened his eyes, not liking the suspense he was putting himself through. What he saw made him regret what he just said. Labramon wasn't crying, but her body lay still. Her face held a blank expression. Yet Sho knew what emotion lay behind it.

Labramon shut her eyes and she spoke in a voice just as hollow as her face. "I understand …...Sho." Before Sho could say anything, she stormed off.

"Labramon wait!" he called after, but it was too late. Sho's eyes drifted towards the spot Labramon had fled from. Upon the fine carpet, he noticed a darkened area, several to be precise. They were tear drops.

"Great." Sho berated to himself. He had just broken his digimon's heart.

XXX

"You know we're going to have to fight either way, right?" Jun queried.

Penguinmon sat nervously beside her, pondering the words. "Y-y-yeah, I guess." The bird knew about the impending fight they would have to partake in, a fight he wanted no part of. But it wasn't as if he had a choice in the matter. Jun would make him fight, no matter what the case. If he argued, she would threaten or bully him into submission. Not that he didn't mind, he seriously did, but he couldn't do anything about it. Jun was his human partner and he had to protect her at all costs. In fact, that loyalty was the sole thing keeping him tethered to his duty. It was what he was made for, literally. Being her digimon was the sole reason for his creation.

"But you don't want to, do you?" Jun suddenly asked. Penguinmon drifted from his thoughts. "I-I-It's not that, Jun! I-I-I-"

"Oh please. Just calm down, will ya?" Jun snapped at the stuttering penguin. "You aren't the only one sick of this." That surprised Penguinmon. "Really?" he asked. Ever since they had begun, Jun had seemed the most daring in regards to fighting. Even now, she just admitted fighting was unavoidable. That much would be true due to the position they were in. The kids were all some prophesied chosen ones, after all.

Jun wearily sighed. "It seems all we do is fight out here. Every day we nearly wind up half-dead with something or someone after us. Frankly, I'm just getting sick of it all." Jun removed her beret, letting her unusually colored hair (probably dead) hair flow freely. "Sometimes, I just want to chill in my bed or the tub and just let things pass my by." Then to Penguinmon's surprise, she turned to him with a smile. "But hey, what choice do we have, eh?"

Unsure of how to react, Penguinmon returned Jun's smile, attempting to go along with how she felt. If anything, he hoped it would help her.

"Dang, you're so nervous, aren't you?" Jun commented. "But that's one of the things I like about ya." Again Penguinmon was surprised, more so when Jun got up and put her hand atop his feathery head. "You're just my cute little coward, aren't ya?"

Penguinmon looked up at her half afraid, half worried. "Jun, are you feeling okay?" he asked, concerned.

Jun chuckled again. "To be honest, I don't know. I may very well be cracking under pressure, but hey, I guess that means we have something in common, eh?" Penguinmon couldn't deny that. He definitely wasn't the best to handle pressure. Particularly in this case. But he had no choice. Neither did Jun, apparently. They would both have to handle it and each other. They always did and they were still alive. In some cases, it could be said the two needed each other. They were polar opposites, but they each had something the other didn't.

They had both changed to a certain degree since they met. Although it was subtle, it could be seen beneath the exteriors they had established for themselves. They needed each other and they would remain until the journey's end.

Hopefully it would be a good end.

XXX

Maya sat alone in contemplation. She could sense many conflicting emotions in the air tonight. Uncertainty, sadness, confusion. All of these were mixed together into a unpleasant stew. She had expected as much. These kids were not ready to know everything just yet. But something inside her told her she had to tell them. Maybe it was her own feelings overpowering her personal judgement, but the end was coming. There would be no other time to tell it to them.

"Ms. Maya?"

A voice distracted her, bringing her eyes to the dark hallway. The blackness was disrupted by an emerging flash of purple and peach. Fur and skin, respectively. "Chiisi, DemiDevimon. You two should be sleeping." said Maya. The bat digimon stretched his wings. "Listen lady, just because you supposedly raised us doesn't mean you're my mother."

Chiisi gave his partner a small scolding look. But he had grown used to his partner's personality quirks. "I had a question." Chiisi asked. Maya looked at the boy curiously. "Of what, Chiisi?" Chiisi held his head down, as the question danced about his head. DemiDevimon knew the question as well, but he said nothing about it. This was Chiisi's question, not his. "About your brother...he really betrayed you?"

Maya's body stiffened at the question. It made Chiisi regret asking it for a moment. But she answered anyway. This was the child of Knowledge she was speaking to. "Yes, he betrayed us all and he was no longer my brother."

"But he was associated with darkness, right? So-" Chiisi began. "You won't fall like Drian did." Maya immediately answered. "How can you be so sure?" Chiisi countered the answer with another question. Once more, Maya had the answer. "It's true you were sired by the ruler of darkness himself, but you still have a human heart."

Chiisi tried to think of something to counter her question with, but he found nothing. Darkness was his other trait, but he had found a way out of it. Although, he still had his own private fears about it. The darkness hadn't left him and it still remained and would remain till the day he died.

It certainly was getting late. Chiisi had made up his mind on the coming day tomorrow. DemiDevimon's mind was already made up after Kazuya gave his speech. The boy was about to leave before another question sprang up in his head. "Something is going to happen to you, isn't it? That's why you told us everything."

Maya said nothing. Nothing needed to be said. For Chiisi, that was enough. DemiDevimon actually went wide-eyed at the news, but he said nothing as well.

The digidestined and their digimon were not the only ones who had conflicts within their mind. Maya soon joined them. Her mind thought back to the past, of both good times and bad times. Drian stood out in the bad times, yet even in the darkest, there were good memories of her brother, long before he fell.

"Drian...why did it have to come to this?" she thought. No answer came to her, yet she could swear she heard something drifting on the wind.

"You understand nothing, my sister." Duskmon whispered from Fallen Angel Castle. Two siblings stared at the moon, waiting for a response from each other. However, they each fell silent.

Fate had drifted them apart.

To be continued...

A/N: Well I finally got this done. I think I can get back to writing this regularly now. *sigh* Well I know that this wasn't as epic as when the season 1 group found out how they were chosen but it's the best I could come up with; or the only thing I could think of. Well, another chapter in this massively unpopular story. I suppose I have to be Keyo Red Angel of Hope, Crazyeight or Ultra Sonic 007 (all good writers mind you) in order to be anyone. Oh well once I finish this story (and I intend to finish it), I can bury it forever and pretend it never existed.


	53. Chapter 53

Impmon grumbled underneath his breath. So far this servant thing wasn't going as well as he had hoped. For so long, he had dreamed of serving the Fallen Angels, not the usual simpering variety of minion, no he would be the top agent, the kind that would be their master's right hand, living at the top with numerous benefits. More specifically, he had hoped he would serve directly under Lilithmon in all her…..assets; the jiggly, voluptuous assets that is. He wasn't entirely off the mark, he did serve under her…..yet the collar around his neck seemed more like a demotion than anything.

"I aint that bimbo's damn dog!" That summed up how he felt in a nutshell. Or going by digimon terms, digitama shell.

"You shouldn't talk of Lilithmon-sama in such a manner." A blank voice commented on the goblin/imp's outburst.

Impmon backed away with a yelp as he noticed a digimon standing right next to him. He recognized her as Tsukaimon, Cherubimon's assistant.

"Geez toots! Give a warning next time, will ya!" Impmon barked.

The Patamon knockoff simply stared at her fellow Rookie; stared at him with those big, blank, round eyes. Whatever frustration he had, he soon found himself more discomforted than anything else. He had only spoken to Tsukaimon sparsely. All he knew about her was that she was some creation of Cherubimon. That alone disturbed him. Digimon were either born on File Island, or were data swapped between two parents. Digimon were not meant to be created in such a manner. Evil as Impmon may have been, he knew what was natural and what wasn't. It explained several things, at least to Impmon. The way she soullessly annunciated her words, it wasn't any surprise as to why he felt uncomfortable around her.

Still, she was the only one who didn't treat him like a servant. That was something, wasn't it? Kind of...maybe.

"My apologies." Tsukaimon spoke in her dead tone.

"Eh forget about it. So what'ya want, ya recolor?" Impmon inquired.

Tsukaimon made no movement in body or face. She remained as stiff as a board. "Nothing of consequence, I always walk around when Cherubimon-sama has tasked me with nothing."

Impmon believed the last thing Tsukaimon explained. He just couldn't understand it. "Wait, you mean that's all you do when you ain't doing things for the rabbit?"

Tsukimon cast a glance towards him. Although she kept her same emotionless stance, there was a subtle twitch in her gaze that told Impmon she didn't like the slur he had bestowed upon her creator.

"Uh well, you know what I mean." Impmon nervously defended. He was sure he could take her if she wanted to fight, but still, that look discomforted him to the World of Darkness and back.

Suddenly, a shrill sound rang out, reverberating across the walls and into the rookie's ears.

Impmon held his down in annoyance. "What da heck is up with this place!" It seemed that his coming here heralded a new age of torture for him.

Tsukaimon was hardly affected by the sound; if she was she didn't show it. Then again, the former was probably the most assured situation for she knew what those alarms meant.

"Our enemies are approaching us." Tsukaimon plainly said.

Impmon kept his ears firmly pinned out of annoyance for the sound, but he lessened up when the artificial female finished.

"Wait, enemies? Ya mean?"

XXX

There they stood, the five...no ten of them, five humans and five digimon. Kazuya adjusted his goggles, a gleam of the sunlight reflected off of them. Looking back at all of his companions, he could see the uncertainty in their eyes, uncertainty and a whole mess of emotions.

Sho and Labramon seemed distant from each other; strange in itself as Labramon usually clung to her partner, never leaving his side. Now though, there seemed to be something going on between them. The pair would occasionally glance at each other turning away before the other could spot them. Sho looked ready to say something, but put it aside with much reluctance. Soon after, Labramon would hang her head down, furthering her eyes away from her human. Although if anyone knew what had transpired last night, Labramon would say calling Sho "her human" would be unfitting; at least as far as Labramon was concerned.

Jun and Penguinmon shared a similar position. If Kazuya didn't know any better, he would have to say Jun seemed just as worried as Penguinmon looked about now. Penguinmon being worried, that wasn't news. Jun however, now that was something new; A first time for everything apparently. Yet her worry didn't seem to be about the upcoming battle itself. Penguinmon's worry obviously related to the battle and Jun's safety. Jun's worry on the other hand seemed to be towards Penguinmon himself. Strange as it may have seemed, the former bully looked as if she was worried about her digimon more than herself.

DemiDevimon practically twitched upon his partner's shoulder. His claws dug into Chiisi's skin who merely winced at that. The boy held his normally stoic condition but even in the blank stare he presented, Kazuya could note something bugged his youngest friend.

Then it went down to him. Kazuya could feel his own doubts. That morning he had seemed so confident, now he wasn't sure.

XXX

"_So it's decided?"_

_That morning the group had woken up to a delicious breakfast, courtesy of Don Guil's chefs. It was a grand meal befitting a king or at least a really rich guy. Don Guil pulled out all the stops but the meal wasn't really worth describing, they had more pressing matters. The only thing of importance to note of the meal was that Labramon didn't wolf everything down, strangely. They all returned to the living room afterwards. Such a large meal really aided their digimon, that and a night's rest had fully replenished their energy reserves, perfect for evolving._

_But they hadn't decided on anything of that sort. Yet they all gathered together under his banner. Gazimon stood beside him with an ever present cigar, of course. That night they had all gone through their own doubts and worries about taking the fight to the Fallen Angels. There would be no other chance to take. They had defeated Demon leaving only two left. Still, defeating one Mega wouldn't necessarily mean the downfall of the others, Kazuya knew where he stood, as did Gazimon, yet it needed to be a group decision._

_Thankfully, the decision was unanimous. After much talking and debate, they had come to a decision._

XXX

Kazuya felt a hand upon his shoulder. He knew whom it belonged to from the delicate touch. He turned to Sakura's comforting gaze. He knew she stood by, her and Fairydramon as well. Looking back at everyone, Kazuya remembered the concise feeling they all felt. Flashing a proud grin, Kazuya clenched his fist in triumph.

"All right everyone, this is it! It's now or never!"

Gazimon flicked the stub that remained of his cigar crushing it with his foot. "Now you're talking, partner!" Gazimon's voice and body matched the teenager's.

Soon the feeling spread to the entire group. Their digivices were held high into the air with glows emanating from the screens.

The glow first spread across Kazuya, Sakura and their partners.

"**Gazimon! Jogress warp evolve!"**

"**Fairydramon! Jogress warp evolve!"**

The two humans and their digimon joined together as the light overtook them. As they merged, four bodies became one each.

"**KnightGenkimon!"**

"**Celestialdramon!"**

The Mega forms of Gazimon and Fairydramon now stood, their partners intertwined with them merged into one. Despite the marvelous sight of the pair, the other Digidestined would not be left out. This was their fight as well. Labramon, Penguinmon, and DemiDevimon felt the warmth of the evolution light.

"**Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!"**

"**Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!**"

"**DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!"**

In their places stood three Champions, but it didn't last long.

"**Shiisamon super evolve! Cerberusmon!**"

"**Saberdramon super evolve! Parrotmon!**"

"**Devimon super evolve! Myotismon!**"

Mega they may have not been, but still their power was not to be doubted, especially with their partner on their side. This was everyone's fight. No one would be left out. Sho hopped upon Cerberusmon's back, Jun did the same with Parrotmon while Myotismon held on tightly to Chiisi. Although they rushed into danger, they knew it was all up to them. Ahead in the distance, they could see it, growing larger with each thrust they made: Fallen Angel Castle. A pit swelled up in their stomachs. Even from where they were, they could sense the darkness of the fortress. Appropriately so, it would seem being the resting place of Grandracmon, and if they were not fast enough, his revival point.

In the depths of their hearts, they knew they wouldn't fail, they couldn't fail.

"Hey what's that?" Jun called out, pointing towards the distance. A strange blanket of darkness stood out amongst the stone of the castle. Floating above were several black shapes, upon closer inspection they appeared to be Devimon, yet in draconic form. Behind them were flocks of muscular orange serpant digimon. Behind them spread tattered purple wings and in place of claws were metallic replications. The same metal covered the top of their heads akin to helmets.

Digimon: Devidramon

Level: Champion

Type: Evil Dragon

Attribute: Virus

Attacks: Crimson Claws, Red Eyes

Digimon: Megadramon

Level: Ultimate

Type: Cyborg

Attribute: Virus

Attacks: Darkside Attack, Ultimate Slicer

Below the draconic fleet, several moving shapes disrupted the ground. The group recognized them as Tankmon, but the other two groups, they hadn't encountered before. Deep inside the body of KnightGenkimon, Kazuya could see the coming throng of enemies. Sakura did the same inside Celestialdramon.

"There's so many of them." Sakura noted with worry.

"_Yeah I know. Think we can beat them?"_ Kazuya spoke to her from his digimon.

Sakura was about to respond with more uncertainty until she heard a comforting tone. _"Sakura, don't think like that, we'll win so long as we're together."_

Those words worked and comforted the girl.

"_Heh, yeah we'll stomp them and be home in time for a smoke!"_ KnightGenkimon boldly laughed.

"_What is it with you and cigars? I swear you're addicted." _Kazuya spoke up against his partner's constant mention of his cigar addiction.

KnightGenkimon didn't even bother arguing back. He knew his answer and he would always respond with it whenever someone questioned what he liked. The three who happened to not be merged with their digimon had the same sentiments.

"Look at them all! How are we supposed to fight them!" Sho spoke in a panicked tone. He half expected Cerberusmon to reassure him like she always did, but he knew that would not happen.

"Don't be such a wuss, Sho!" Jun retorted from atop Parrotmon. "We just have to fight our way through!"

Sho had something to say in regards to that, but whatever he said would simply be shot down. Today and the previous night just hadn't been his best times.

Chiisi said nothing, as Myotismon kept him close. The boy could feel such darkness coming off the monsters. Too much darkness if they asked him. He could see the black aura surrounding each of those digimon. It covered them, coated them, covered them, immersed them, almost as if it were being enhanced.

"Hey kid," Chiisi looked up upon hearing Myotismon's voice, "I think this is where you need to get off."

The vampire descended, releasing the boy from his grasp. Chiisi kept his eyes towards the group of digimon. An impressive sight they were, but something seemed off. The darkness coursed through them, pulsating and growing with every inch they closed in.

"Good luck." Chiisi blurted out without so much as a glance at his partner, not that Myotismon cared, all he wanted was to kill something, and he would.

The five digimon rushed into the battlefield bravely, their hearts poised on this moment.

XXX

Don Guil reclined back in his chair. He hadn't felt so relaxed since...well he couldn't remember. Honestly though he had felt relaxed. Things were finally coming into place.

"Miss Maya, if I may ask, why do you seem so troubled?"

However, not everyone was at peace. Maya kept her gaze outside the window, out into the distance. The view showed the distant outline of Fallen Angel Castle. From the distance she stood she could not make out the battle, but she could sense it. There was no doubt in her mind that they were winning. Even from here, she could feel the deletion of their opponents. It brought a smile to her face, but it quickly fell. Her thoughts ached at her. So much remained on her mind, impending thoughts of the future.

"It's almost time." Maya noted with a foreboding tone.

Don Guil's complacent position switched as he turned his attention towards the data child. He could tell her face was twisted in uncertainty and pain. Don Guil studied that via body language. He had seen it before, years ago when he was but a teenager, about nineteen in human terms. His mother had the same look, right on the night she died. Her death had been a depressing surprise, a surprise that had shattered him. Yet that experience had strengthened him in the long run, but the memories lingered.

He almost dreaded asking this, but he felt compelled to do so.

"You're going to die, aren't you?"

Maya didn't answer. Instead, she held herself tightly, ready to face the future.

XXX

"Aura Sword!" KnightGenkimon sliced through the Devidramon as if they were nothing. With each swipe he made, the data flew into a swarming sea, yet KnightGenkimon didn't bat an eye.

Celestialdramon twirled her staff, batting at the oncoming soldiers. "Agni Staff!" The flames burned several of the Devidramon, making them burst into bits of data along with the brethren her companion had slain.

KnightGenkimon smirked as Celestialdramon finished her attack. "Pretty nice swinging, my little honey."

Celestialdramon knew that the smirk was directed towards her new mammaries. Or rather, how they jiggled. Groaning, Celestialdramon batted another Devidramon away before she spoke rather nonchalantly. "You should watch out for those missles."

"Huh?" KnightGenkimon muttered. Then he noticed the Megadramon. The cyborg dragons held out their metal arms threateningly. A slot opened atop each one and from it emerged a tiny creature. Whatever the creature was, it held a sadistic little grin across its mouth. The organic missiles shot out of the slot and towards KnightGenkimon. The armored rabbit wasted no time in attacking the moment he saw the forthcoming projectiles. The Aura Sword easily sliced through them, causing tiny explosions to appear in mid-air. His next target were the Megadramon themselves. Taking his sword, he drove it right into the head of the first Megadramon he saw. The creature gave a frightened gasp as it deleted.

Celestialdramon eyed KnightGenkimon with an impressed look. The way he sliced through those Megadramon was admittedly…..daring. The Megadramon advanced onto her as well. Twirling her staff, she summoned more flames which engulfed the creatures.

Down below, several more explosions followed as Cerberusmon and Parrotmon attacked.

"Mad Dog Fire!"

"Mjolnir Thunder!"

Emerald flames and lighting surged through the crowds. The Tankmon barely had time to react as they were deleted from the duel attacks.

"Now that's the way to do it!" Jun shouted excitedly. She was enjoying this battle. Parrotmon? Not so much.

Parrotmon took extra care not to drop Jun. That proved a difficult task due to having to fight at the same time. "Whatever you say, Jun." He sighed.

Sho tried to think of something to say. Cerberusmon was a fierce beast as she destroyed whatever got in her way. However, he could see the loss of life in her eyes. There was no zest. "Great job, pal!" Sho forced a smile and a happy tone.

Cerberusmon looked up at him. "Thank you." She spoke in a dead pan voice. Again, there was no sign of her perkiness, her youth.

Sho resigned himself with a sigh. He just had to open his mouth last night. If only he had known how much it would have hurt his friend.

The Tankmon continued their mindless assault. No matter how many of them fell, they kept coming.

"Crimson Lighting!" Myotismon swooped in, brandishing his bloody streams of energy. Just as his friends did, Myotismon easily dispatched the Tankmon.

The machine digimon exploded into packets of data, dispersing high into the air. The battle raged on continuously. Fire, energy, lightning, all together they formed into a spectacular light show. The show soon ended in a resounding finale. Kazuya and Sakura could see it all from within their digimon, while Sho and Jun viewed it atop their digimon...they had won the battle. Chiisi observed from afar viewing everything that had transpired. By everything, that included things the others had not seen. That fight...it had been too easy.

"Hey kid!"

Chiisi's thought were interrupted as Myotismon swooped down.

"Grab on, we're moving!"

Chiisi obeyed the vampire's words and held tightly. They had passed the first threshold, but certainly there would be more inside.

XXX

Duskmon didn't even flinch as the foot soldier deleted. His sword retracted inside his arm, stained with the blood of its helpless victim. Behind him, he could see Cherubimon and Lilithmon. Keeping his back turned, he could picture them in his mind: Their expressions...or rather Cherubimon's twisted in horror. Lilithmon held the blank face her master had bestowed upon her. At their feet, Impmon and Tsukaimon were mirror images of Cherubimon and Lilithmon respectively.

"It had to be done." Duskmon excused his actions. "The master commands it."

Cherubimon swallowed whatever retort he had planned to say. Twisted as he may have been, this didn't seem to sit well.

"Oh don't look so shocked, you tortured many of of your "volunteers" till this point. You should view this as another experiment in itself." Duskmon suggested that last line luridly.

Cherubimon continued to be silent. Lilithmon merely stroked the black digitama while the two rookies stood there. Well, Impmon shivered, Tsukaimon stood there.

"We should get going, by now the humans have taken care of the remaining forces he had." Duskmon spoke with command.

Lilithmon paid no attention to the tone the lesser-leveled digimon spoke in. Cherubimon on the other hand visibly shook with rage. How dare that lower-leveled half-digimon...no false digimon consider giving them orders. Then again, the master did seem to speak through him. He had never thought much of Duskmon in the grand scheme of things. Mostly it had just been the three of them...himself, Lilithmon, and Demon. That is, before the latter showed himself as a traitor. The trio that they were became a symbolization of the master's rule. Whenever the name Fallen Angels was uttered, their images would be engrained in the terrified minds of every digimon. Then there was Duskmon, the messenger boy. He would bring them news of the outside world, news that their minions were too far apart in delivering. Duskmon was a mere insignificant speck in regards to their power. After all, they were three powerful Mega's, while Duskmon...it then dawned on him that he didn't know what level of evolution Duskmon matched.

"The time is nigh, the time has come." Lilithmon's eerie voice brought Cherubimon back to reality. Stroking the black digitama, the succubus followed Duskmon. With nothing else to say or do, Cherubimon followed after.

Impmon's tail thumped against the ground in defeat. This had not been what he imagined or planned when he signed up.

"Hey." Impmon whispered to Tsukaimon. Dulled as her mind appeared to be, the winged guinea pig listened well. "I'm thinking of blowing this joint, ya in?"

Tsukaimon didn't say anything for a few moments. Turning herself away from Impmon, she uttered an ultimatum. "Stay for the mercy of the humans, or stay with the one who'll lead this world to glory."

Impmon felt absolutely defeated. The two choices both had their pros and cons. Though in the end, Impmon made his choice. "Dang it all, I shoulda become a toilet salesman."

Portable potties were all the rage after all. Convenient, handy, and profitable. But in life, sometimes there are no second chances. Impmon had long passed his second chance.

XXX

Something wasn't right. The castle was empty. The group had broke into the front door of the castle, ready to battle hoards of evil digimon in order to reach the remaining Fallen Angels. Yet, not even one stood out.

"I don't get it." Said Kazuya. "I mean didn't we take out their friends outside?"

Sakura could see the same from within Celestialdramon. "This is so strange, you think it's a trap?"

The other's could not hear their friends inner conversations, but they held the same sentiments.

"Alright come on out, ya cowards!" Jun shouted.

"Jun! Don't provoke them!" Parrotmon squawked. "I'm still shivering from the last battle we were in."

Per usual, Parrotmon still was a coward at heart. Although everyone else could find some sense in his words. There was no telling what manner of horrors awaited them inside.

"Oh please. If they were as weak as the ones out there then I don't think we have anything to worry about." Jun boasted.

Even Sho had to find some reassurance in her words. That digimon hoard outside fell without so much effort. If that was the best the Fallen Angels had to offer, then they clearly had their ball in the court. Everyone had their own feelings of confidence, and some with their own feelings of skepticism. Chiisi and Myotismon shared those sentiments.

"They were too easy." Chiisi announced.

Myotismon crossed his arms. "I'll say. Hardly worth killing."

"Come on! That just means we royally stomped them!" Jun proudly proclaimed. Her words only comforted her however.

"That's just it, why would they send out troops we could easily kill?" Chiisi poised the question. Seeing the confused looks upon his friend's faces, Chiisi elaborated further. "During the fight, I could see a mass of dark energy. It surrounded all of those digimon, merging with them even...but it wasn't making them stronger. It made them weaker." Chiisi suddenly finished.

"What!" Several members of the team said.

Chiisi's face grew serious. "I'm positive."

Myotismon thought hard on the matter as well. "I gotta agree with you kid, I could sense it as well."

"But that doesn't make sense." KnightGenkimon countered.

"Actually it does, in a way." Celestialdramon responded. "Obviously, they weakened their troops so we could slay them."

That only confused the lot even more.

Cerberusmon sniffed the castle air. Her fine canine senses searched for any sign of life in the stone walls. Then, she suddenly stopped. "There's no one here."

Chiisi thought back to what Celestialdramon said. He had the same suspicions regarding the choice in strategy the villains had taken, and coupled with the absence of life in the castle, it brought him to a disturbing conclusion.

"They sacrificed all of their troops."

XXX

Grandracmon could hear their cries, their pleas of hopelessness and despair. Their data sated his body, flowing into the digitama shell. Sacrificing his own servants, it wasn't as he had originally envisioned. It had been an action he wanted to avoid. In the end, they had served their purpose as mindless grunts to his higher-ranked servants, the Fallen Angels. There was movement above. He could sense the humans, those wretched Digidestined. Their prophecy would not come to pass. Wisemon had become a senile old fool and those false replacement gods, the Harmonious Ones, were mere children to their creator. Soon, it would all fall into place. He could feel the egg pulsating with glorious darkness.

Soon, it would be time for his freedom.

XXX

They ran through each door that presented itself. With Chiisi's realization made evident, it made their search all the more urgent. Every passageway, every room, all of them were empty. They didn't have to search the entire castle to realize that they wouldn't be able to find the Fallen Angels.

"Graahh! This is hopeless!" KnightGenkimon shouted. With his duel voice, it may have been possible Kazuya held the same thoughts.

To hear that coming from the fused rabbit and boy meant that things really were bad. It began to spread towards everyone. Grandracmon's revival was nearing.

"This is perfect, I really wanted to kick those fallen asses." Jun punched her fist into her palm.

"I really think we should be worrying more about the Digital World than kicking any asses." Sho repremended.

Jun shot him a glare. "I know that. But in order to save said world some asskicking is needed."

That actually made sense. But still they were far off from their goal of being heroes.

"You sure no one is here, girl?" Asked Sho.

Cerberusmon sniffed the air once again. "No, nobody is here." Her voice still held that lack of joyous tone.

Sho felt even worse now, he had to make this right. "Cerberusmon, look..."

"Wait!" Chiisi interrupted, although that wasn't his intention. "I can feel something...it's faint, but I know that scent anywhere!" Before anyone could say anything, Chiisi took off running. The others followed suit. Normally, Chiisi's hunches were always right. They figured they would be foolish not to follow him. Down more of the same structured passageways, they found another opening. This lead into a room, bare for the most part, but not just bare of inhabitants, but furniture as well. Save for one piece of machinery. It was a strange device, built and connected high into the wall. It was a demonic looking device, obviously serving some evil purpose. They came to that conclusion from its appearance and from its location.

Cerberusmon shuddered as she sniffed. "The bad smell is really bad over there." She spoke in her simplistic speech.

Chiisi fixated upon the device. Focusing, he could sense some reek of a stench on it. While it clearly disturbed Cerberusmon, it comforted him to a certain extent. "Darkness." Came Chiisi's words.

Within Celestialdramon, Sakura could sense some of it as well. Like the canine digimon, she was disturbed by it. "It's especially strong there." She said.

"So what? How is that supposed to help us?" Jun's skepticism laced her question.

Chiisi walked towards the device. Sakura nearly reached out, but stopped. The boy stopped in front of the machine, noticing a pedestal when he reached it. Hesitation gripped him, but he overcame it as he had done so many times before. Everyone in the group had done so, it seemed to be apart of the Digidestined passage.

"Hang on everyone, I know what I'm doing." Chiisi kept his hand firmly upon the cold metal. Just as the darkness in this room did, the touch made him feel almost at home. He could sense the other's confusion. Soon, they would understand. Chiisi focused hard. The darkness in the room slowly began to form around their master. The son of their master, that is. The prince of the dark realm called to his father's domain. In his ears, he could hear the waves crashing against the shore. A feeling grew within the room. Chiisi could feel his comfort growing larger and grander than it had ever been since the castle's inhabitants disappeared. Chiisi had closed his eyes when he first touched the machine. When he opened them, all he could see was darkness. His ears caught the shocked cries of his friends which fell into a hush as the darkness covered them all.

When it cleared in the room, there was nothing but a trace left. Now the castle was barren.

XXX

He could sense them, they were near. Every pulse rocked the shell.

Time was nearly nigh

XXX

The wave of darkness passed over the kids in an instant and then it went just the same. The group stood bewildered for a moment. Their bodies were adjusting to the sudden rush that had passed them; All of them except Chiisi and Myotismon that is.

"Geez! Could you give us a warning the next time!" Jun complained.

The complaints they held were put away for the time being. Their current location warranted their location. It was a long winding cave, to put it simply. Behind them was nothing but black, while in front was the same.

"Where are we?" Asked Sho.

Parrotmon's feathers fanned up. "I got a b-b-bad feeling about this place." A thump on his side from Jun swiftly ended his cowardice.

Cerberusmon let out a low growl. "The bad smell is up ahead."

The bad smell could only mean one possibility. They had arrived. The Fallen Angels were ahead.

"This is it." Kazuya and KnightGenkimon said. The two leaders held their heads forward. Well, their head forward seeing as they were technically the same being now. Soon, everyone else followed in suit, this had been a long road. All of their trials and adventures had lead to this moment. Now it was time to finish it. "Alright everyone…let's do this!" If Kazuya was still wearing his goggles, he would have adjusted them triumphantly.

So then, they charged forward. Their heads and hopes high.

XXX

_Crick crack!_

He could feel the shell cracking, just a little more.

XXX

The Digidestined ran with all their might. Or to be precise, their digimon ran with them riding on it. That would make things much easier.

"Everyone, we need to hurry!" Chiisi spoke with warning. "I feel alot of darkness up ahead!"

A sudden gust of air hit their faces. Their feet skid against the ground for a moment before they maintained their footing. Chiisi was correct, something huge lie ahead. Even the humans could feel it. If that was the case, then this darkness must have been truly horrifying. Nevertheless, they kept running, kept going, never stopping until they reached their destination. Although they ran fast, all they could see was the same shadows in the distance. Then suddenly, they could see something...light. It wasn't the warm comforting light of the sun, but an orange glow against the cave walls. That didn't distract them; they kept running until their surroundings changed. First, they noticed something about the walls and floor. Whereas behind them was nothing but rigid rock, now it was smoothed out like sidewalk. From their feet spreading up to the ceiling, strange symbols were printed upon the ground. The Digimon instantly recognized it as Digicode, the language of the Digital World. Impressive as it was, that didn't compare to what was ahead. A column of fire immediately shot up from a gap in the floor, reaching high into the air. Behind it was nothing but black, yet this kind was different.

"My….look what the rabid Gatomon dragged in."

Everyone ignored the Fire Wall for a moment, something else now held their attention. Standing there were five digimon. Two of them were rookies, an Impmon and a Tsukaimon. In the middle stood Duskmon, while the other two they had to guess were Cherubimon and Lilithmon, the remaining Fallen Angels.

"So, you're the bad guys, eh?" KnightGenkimon spoke in his duel tone. "Heh. You don't look so fearsome."

Cherubimon growled. "You're the ones who destroyed my precious viruses and disrupted all of our crucial plans!" The Mega held a lot of repressed rage regarding the humans. Now seemed like the perfect time to let it out. Whatever thoughts Lilithmon had, she didn't speak them aloud. It wasn't as if she held any true regards to the matter. The heroes prepared to fight, as did Cherubimon. Lilithmon would do so if need be, while Impmon cowered at the sight. Tsukaimon stared blankly at the danger before her. The only other digimon who shared her complacency, was Duskmon.

"There's no need, Cherubimon." Said Duskmon.

The demon rabbit halted the attack he was about to unleash. "What?" He asked confusedly.

Duskmon turned his attention back to the Fire Wall as soon as it erupted again. "They're too late, anyway."

What they did notice was that Duskmon's attention wasn't exactly directed at the fire. It was towards the alter set right before it. Upon the alter was a black digitama.

_Crick Crack!_

It cracked. For the villains, it was a joyous moment, while for the heroes...not so much.

"Guys, let's go!" Someone shouted. Kazuya/KnightGenkimon, Jun, anyone could have said it, but really it didn't matter. The result would be the same.

Another gust of wind hit the air, halting any attack they could have made. The Digitama started to crack further, sending out more gusts. Everyone braced themselves for some oncoming assault. KnightGenkimon tried to move, tried to muster up an attack.

"Don't...it's useless, we were too late." Chiisi announced.

Lilithmon cast a pleased eye towards the black digitama. Cherubimon dropped whatever animosity he had at the moment, while Duskmon turned to the children.

"The young prince is correct, you know. It was only a matter of time, anyway." Duskmon boasted. "Had we not sacrificed our soldiers for their data, you would have probably halted our plans by a millisecond."

That news shocked everyone on the good side. Although they held their suspicions on the matter. Sacrificing ones troops for their own goals. How low could they get?

"But it's far too late now. So sit back and watch." Duskmon smiled underneath his mask.

Just then, an overwhelming feeling of darkness spread. The Fire Wall grew higher, burning more intensely then it ever had before. As the fire grew at its peak, something appeared within the flames. A glowing pair of red eyes shined underneath. The Digidestined stood by as a voice filled the air.

"_At last! Years of having my soul bound in this prison have finally come to an end!"_

The eyes faded from view just as the digitama began to pulse.

Suddenly, a dark shadow shot forth from the fire and into the digitama.

_Crick Crack!_

It cracked even further. As it did, the gusts of wind began to fill the entire cave nearly knocking everyone over. The egg started to pulse and crack further, spurts of dark energy seeping out from the inside. The Digidestined stood there petrified. They couldn't think of anything to say. Their minds and bodies were frozen with fear...except for one.

"Kazuya!" Sakura shouted from within her digimon.

"KnightGenkimon!" Everyone else shouted.

The armored rabbit dove forward, his fist outstretched, ready to strike. He...they...wouldn't let this come to pass. Yet, his heroic dreams would go unfulfilled. The moment he neared the digitama, an overpowering force sent him flying back. Suddenly, everything went silent. A wave of darkness burst forth right at the crucial moment.

_Crick Crack!_

The Digitama hatched.

XXX

A vast explosion rocked Fallen Angel Castle. From underneath, a wave of darkness spread forth, covering everything. The stone architecture was torn asunder from the mass of energy. The wave spread until it overtook the entire surrounding area, casting it into a nightfall of sorts. Anyone caught in it would find themselves floating in an endless void of darkness. Within it's center, a massive shape formed.

A great roar was unleashed from two heads with shark-like muzzles full of razor sharp teeth. The two heads were connected to a four-legged, brown-furred body. The legs held red bands against their blackened feet. The entire back was adorned with blue tattoos and a yellow tail spread back. Despite the bestial appearance, a humanoid body connected atop it like a centaur. The waist was adorned in a pair of belts, with red bands just above them. Two arms spread out from a crossed position, sharing the red band fashion along with spiked metal plates upon the hands. The remnants of a blue, bat-like plate adorned the shoulders, crossing only around the chest. These were made apparant as two bat-like wings uncoiled themselves, revealing the aforementioned clothing, along with a pale body just in-between the plates. Leading up, the pale body formed into a head adorned with a hat made from the same blue material as the shoulder pads. Two horns crowned it, with blond hair spreading down. Two hanks were braided with the same red bands. The head slowly tilted up, revealing the pale-skinned face of a young man. His irises were bright red...the color of blood.

Beneath him, he could see two groups. One side were his loyal and devoted servants who were currently held in awe, like worship. The other were the Digidestined who were gripped in fear at the sight of him. For the first time in a long time, he felt triumph.

Grandracmon breathed in air for the first time since he was imprisoned. He had been revived. And he smiled.

To be continued...

A/N: Well the big bad has finally been revived. I'm certain anyone else could have done this better but this was the best I could do. Originally I was going to make the battle scene a little more epic, but battle scenes are hard. So I figured I could make it easier for them to win but give a plausible reason for it. Well we are almost at the end. But worry not folks, the remaining Digimon will reach Mega. Kazuya and Sakura aren't the only ones who will take the spotlight.


	54. Chapter 54

Chiisi had never felt such darkness in his entire life. The concept of sensing such a powerful feeling was still new to him, only discovering it when he first came to this world. Though fresh, he picked up on it and despite the new sensations that filled his mind and body, he understood what was considered weak and what was considered powerful.

This aura felt powerful, not just any power but the strongest he had felt yet. It seeped into his pores and filled his body with a feeling that could only be described as fear. The digimon certainly could feel it. All five of them trembled just a little within the void. KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon seemed to be handling it far better than the others, but whether this was because of their level or the fact they were merged with their humans, Chiisi couldn't tell.

"Master Grandracmon!" Cherubimon shouted in both shock and what could be happiness.

The Demonic rabbit bowed in reverence, and Lilithmon followed in suit. Even Duskmon did the same. Impmon however was too fear stricken to pay any respects. Though seeing the will-less Tsukiamon bowing made him do the same. Although not quite understanding the whole dark lord and Digital World ancient history, Impmon knew to stick with the winning party, and a giant half man half beast taur digimon definitely seemed like the winning party.

Assumedly.

Grandracmon breathed in the tainted air, the first breath he had drawn in centuries; frankly it felt good. His arms, his wings, his legs, they were like meeting a long lost companion. The sensation of having a body had not been lost to him despite being a disembodied spirit for centuries. A crack followed as the vampire lord cricked his neck; as he stretched, several other body parts did the same.

"You've nurtured this body well Lilithmon." Grandracmon praised in a voice that was rather young. Despite the bestial body, his face still resembled a human man in his twenties or so. It held a certain classy air about it. Yet laced within, and just barely noticeable, was a growl. It was certainly reminiscent to the doubled up voices that KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon shared.

"I was simply following your orders master." Lilithmon humbly answered in her drained voice.

Grandracmon turned his eyes towards Cherubimon. "Of course, your machines helped speed up the process." The demon grinned. "The darkness you channeled was like honey to me."

Cherubimon bowed again. "It was my pleasure Grandracmon sama!" The rabbit beamed with pride upon hearing his genius praised.

Lastly he turned to his final servant. "Duskmon, you never failed me. Without your assistance towards this cause, I would have remained imprisoned far longer."

Duskmon said nothing, nor did he show any sign of pride in serving his master. Whatever feelings he may have had, it laid behind that mask. Grandracmon paid no mind towards Impmon and Tsukaimon. The latter didn't care, the former however felt a twinge of rejection. Sure the sight of Grandracmon terrified him, who wouldn't be terrified? Still, a little recognition would have been nice. Grandracmon's eyes drifted towards another party. Seeing them, he couldn't help but spread his grin into an evil display.

"So, these are the fabled chosen ones? The Digidestined?"

The kids and their digimon stood aback or what could be considered standing within the void. Soon it turned to steely resolve. They wouldn't show any fear towards this new enemy.

The demon merely chuckled. "Such bravado in the face of danger. I have to respect that and your efforts." The kids were really taken aback upon hearing that comment. "You defeated hordes of my minions some which hunted you down relentlessly. Also I must thank you for disposing of that traitor Demon. Had he not been dealt with, my reign would not come to pass."

"Your reign!" KnightGenkimon protested with Kazuya's voice become most prominent.

Grandracmon lowered his grin into a standard smirk. "This was unavoidable. The key factors that sped it along were just little additions. The seal placed upon me wore down with time, I would have broken free eventually. Although it would have been longer than it was now. Still I thank you once again for your part in this."

The children winced at that remark. The horde of digimon they had faced outside the castle were obviously sacrificed to this monster. Unintentionally, they had aided his return to the world of the living. But they couldn't sit here and beat themselves up about it, what was done was done.

"Now that I am free, I shall spread my darkness to the far corners of the Digital World. All digimon shall praise my name and relish in the new world of evil that will follow."

Praises were sure to follow upon hearing their master's resolve towards his goals. Yet the Fallen Angels never got a chance to speak. Someone beat them to it.

"That's not going to happen!" KnightGenkimon boldly proclaimed, Kazuya's voice shining through once more. Turning to the shaken group he spurred, "Come on guys! We're the only ones that can stop him!"

The group didn't know how to exactly respond to that. They had just witnessed the birth of an evil embodiment, an evil so powerful that the original god of this world sacrificed his life to defeat it. Yet out of all of the uncertain expressions, one person stood by their leader.

"You have me." Celestialdramon spoke earnestly. Behind the dragon's voice, Sakura's voice shone through.

KnightGenkimon smiled. It was a smile that held two meanings. For Kazuya it was one of gratitude for his best friend. For Gazimon within, it was one of pervertedness, especially in regards to the thought of any incarnation of Fairydramon supporting him.

Sho on the other hand looked the same as usual; uncertain and rather frightened. Chiisi held some kind of unreadable emotion upon his face. Jun on the other hand looked just about as she normally did in regards to a crisis.

"Well I'm with ya goggle rabbit!" She shouted, fist pounding into the other. Parrotmon per usual squawked with fright at the prospect of fighting, but he held his complaints down knowing they wouldn't be appreciated. His desire to protect his partner outweighed his cowardice.

Sho likewise showed fright, but kept it down. He knew when was the time to fight and this certainly was time. With a nod, he gave his decision. Cerberusmon would follow regardless; although her lack of joy still remained. However, now wasn't the time to question his digimon's personal feelings. Chiisi said nothing. Had the other two not beaten him in speaking, he would have been the third to go along with Kazuya. Likewise as with Jun, Myotismon loved a good fight as much as the next slightly homicidal hero.

Unanimously, their conviction and bonds were set together. Looking to their human partners and the humans to their digimon, the assembled group looked toward their new enemy with much resolve.

Grandracmon stared down at the chosen ones. It had been centuries since he had seen such courage Long in the past, he had seen many in the eyes of digimon who had opposed him. Such strength, such belief, such devotion in their golden god, their master and savior. Good and evil, it didn't matter what side one was on, a master would be behind it all. However, the golden one had fallen while he had risen from death.

Slowly, a chuckle started to form in his throat, heaving his chest slightly up and down. The chuckle continued to grow and his chest shook. At last it urned into a full on evil laugh.

"Really? You want to fight me?" Grandracmon posed the question as if it were a ludicrous statement. The grin upon his face showed how much humor he found in it. "Very well, come at me."

The demon lord spread out his arms beckoning the group to him. KnightGenkimon smirked and answered his call. "If that's what you want then you got it!" The rabbit knight immediately summoned an orb of energy and formed it into his familiar aura sword.

"If goggle boy is in on it them so am I!" Jun proclaimed. Parrotmon didn't need any urging from his partner; at this point in time there could be no cowardice. With a squawk, the great bird charged forward with electricity sparking atop his head feathers.

The remaining digidestined held the same feelings. The situation looked grim, but they at least had to try. Myotismon, Cerberusmon, and Celestialdramon showed signs of starting up their signature attacks: a bloody stream, an emerald flame, and embers sparking across a metal rod. For Grandracmon, everything slowed. The humans and their digimon (both merged and unmerged) gallantly assaulted him. In their eyes he could see a light; oh it was such a familiar light, a light that needed to be extinguished. Within the air a cold feeling spread around. Immediately Chiisi felt it again, the overwhelming feeling of darkness. Grandracmon spread his wings wide causing gusts to blow across the area. The air pulled back just as his arms followed his wings. Suddenly the dark air blew forward with merely a thrust. The force of it sent the everyone flying backwards. KnightGenkimon was the first to get the full brunt of it. The armored rabbit crashed with a satisfying metallic clang. Or at least Grandracmon found the sound enjoyable. As KnightGenkimon toppled down, an emotion lay etched upon his face, one that didn't leave even as he attempted to get up. All of them did but only managed to kneel.

"Really? Was that all?" Grandracmon asked. "Please, do try again." The demon lord added a laugh at the end of that offer.

KnightGenkimon was quick to take up that offer. His legs shook under the strain of hauling his battered body.

"Don't get up!" Celestialdramon warned. "He's too strong!" Behind the dragon's voice, Sakura's pitch became more prominent.

The Kazuya within KnightGenkimon halted their shared body. The Gazimon half argued against the decision, but the human part always listened whenever Sakura spoke. KnightGenkimon froze in place making him look like a living statue. Although his body stilled, within his mind a debate formed. It went back and forth as the two halves of the being argued on what to do next. Although to the outside, the decision seemed to last for all but a few seconds. On the inside however, it seemed to last for several minutes, at least to the two inhabitants that made up the Mega level. Kazuya and Gazimon's viewpoints soon formed into one. When they were finished, KnightGenkimon moved again. Behind, he could see tell his comrades held the same look as he did.

"I wonder if the rest of your race is as helpless as you are?" Grandramon suddenly queried.

The question was enough to snap the kids out of their shadowy funk. Above, the demon lord's grin showed an exceptionally evil glint to it. "Once my darkness spreads throughout all the corners of the Digital World, perhaps I should visit the Human World?"

The digidestined immediately snapped to attention once that was said; Grandracmon noticed this and broke into laughter.

"Like hell we'll let you do that!" KnightGenkimon declared rising to his feet. The rabbit knight still shook from his weakened state, but he didn't care. Even if it killed him, he would stop this monster. He tried to move forward only to collapse onto his knees once more. Despite that, he still attempted to move, his eyes fixated upon his enemies.

"Don't get up!" Celestialdramon cried. The dragon priestess held a scaled arm out towards her friend.

Normally the Gazimon half would listen to whatever any incarnation of Fairydramon told him, but he and Kazuya were still one in their thoughts, and their thoughts were to defeat this evil.

Grandracmon let out another chuckle. "I do admire your courage, but I grow weary," the demon turned his head to the side, "and I have much to do." Outstretching his palm the dark feeling came again. The children could feel it around them growing with intensify and fury. Although KnightGenkimon would stand and fight, the others wouldn't. Stubbornly he clung to the hope he could stand against this evil, but his body said otherwise. The darkness of this realm could be felt by everyone, especially Celestialdramon, Chiisi, and Myotismon. Grandracmon willed all negativity to him. Curling around his palm, he gathered it into an invisible ball. It grew and grew until the demon lord became satisfied with its size. With a mere flick of his hand, it sped towards its targets.

At last KnightGenkimon could grasp what the emotion upon his face was. All of them knew just how they felt. They were up against an enemy that they could not defeat. The invisible energy neared its course ready to erase the humans from the world. It never reached anyone however. An immense light exploded from nowhere like supernova blinding the dark digimon present. The chosen children and digimon shielded themselves from the light wary of it possibly being a new enemy. That fear went unfounded for they knew that light always meant good; they had been in this world long enough to come to that assumption.

The light dimmed instantaneously and an unsurprising figure stood from where it had appeared. Celstialdramon recognized it immediately.

"Maia!" The twin voices exclaimed.

Across the field, Duskmon's eyes widened the moment he heard that name. Maia glared daggers right back at him. Duskmon looked shocked at first, and then switched to his usual calm disposition.

"You will not harm these children!" Maia boldly declared. "Not while I live and breathe!"

"Live and breath?" Duskmon muttered to himself. "Master?" Grandracmon looked down at his most loyal servant.

"Yes?"

"Allow me to deal with this one." Duskmon's request was only matched by the tiniest trace of a plead in his voice.

Grandracmon considered it for a moment, but a short one. "Very well. You have my permission."

Duskmon would smile if he had an actual mouth. Walking forward, he brandished his blades. Maya met the digimon's cold approach with another glare; this one was of pure hatred.

"Maya?" Celestialdramon called out, a perfect blend of Sakura and Fairydramon spoke showing equal control.

Maya didn't look back as she continued her pace; this moment deserved her undivided attention. A short chuckle gave way underneath Duskmon's mask; it only served to infuriate Maia.

"So here we are once again...sister." Duskmon didn't bother keeping his voice down. Somehow he wanted all to hear.

Everyone heard indeed. The Digidestined were simply astonished by the statement and rather confused. Maya literally spat upon the ground, right at the space in-between themselves.

"You have no right calling me that Drian!" Maya announced.

Several hushed gasps sounded behind the data child.

"W-wasn't that her brother's name?" Parrotmon asked.

Cerberusmon sniffed the air once. Her fine canine senses were telling her something. The senses pointed towards Duskmon. When Cerberusmon sniffed again, a familiar scent reached her nose. Her eyes could see the red glare of Duskmon's own eyes. She had seen that look before. Suddenly vast repository of memories came to the surface. They were fuzzy images but soon grew clearer. Within them, Cerberusmon saw herself looking up at a figure. In the memory she must have been in her baby stage, it made sense given the circumstances. Above she could see a white shape, one she immediately knew was Maya. The loving, kind, respectable guardian she was, or in other words a surrogate parent. Cerberusmon couldn't sort out every little memory; they suddenly just flowed back to her in a tangent. Each tangent brought along a new memory each carrying a joyful moment; but then it stopped at one, one that wasn't so joyful. Cerberusmon was still a Paomon in her memories, but she stared up at not the image of Maia, but someone else. Her vision was blurry at first, perhaps digging away at the recesses of her mind, but it soon unclouded in clarity. There was a boy garbed in the same outfit as Maia, but the figure underneath the white robes belied the outer appearance. The boy underneath had long flowing raven hair, a stone cold look, but the most distinguishable feature were his glaring red eyes. A name steadily formed at her lips, a name she had long forgotten.

"Drian." Both the past and present Cerberusmon uttered.

At last Cerberusmon remembered Drian; the one with the cold look in his eyes. The one who had betrayed everyone.

"But it's the truth isn't it?" Drian, or rather Duskmon countered. "We both were spawned from the same source, we each carry the same strands of data." The former data child continued to walk towards his sibling; his pace was slow.

"What you are now is nothing but a mockery of the life our creator gave us!" Maia spat again.

Duskmon countered his sister's words with yet another laugh. The more Maia heard it the more she could feel her anger rise.

"Life goes hand in hand with death, how long would light stood against dark? You seek to bring light to this world but in the end all that remains is darkness." Duskmon's speech commenced, attuning with his steps. His gaze remained cold, lifeless; a black void.

Maia's stern gaze attempted to overpower her brother's, but suddenly she found it faltering. Something was going to happen, an an event she couldn't stop. She had predicted it long ago, or rather received a prediction from a somewhat senile mind. Part of her had tried to ascertain a way of preventing it. Though, in the recesses of her mind she knew that would be impossible. Sometimes the future certainly was set in stone; what was set in stone couldn't be changed. Maia's guard fell at that moment. She didn't know if it was intentional or unintentional. Maybe she was obey ing the prophecy or perhaps not. Duskmon certainly didn't care nor did he know. All he could see was an opening and he certainly took it.

"Goodbye sister." Those words rung in Maia's ears, just as the pain that went through her.

Crimson stained Duskmon's blade, matching it in color. Maia's vision spun all around her, blurring and dimming at the same time.

"MAIA!"

She thought she heard the name being called, called by dual voice of Celestialdramon. They were all about to do something in retaliation, she could hear them moving towards her. This could not happen, but being the heroes they were, that would be asking the impossible. She had to do something; two things actually. The blade twisted inside her as she moved. The pain was excruciating but she fought it. Willing what was left of her energy, she waved her hand and a flash covered the children.

On the opposite end, the children had watched this gruesome scenery play out. Sakura was the most affected within the confines of Celestialdramon. Maia's arrival had brought hope to her heart. The data child had served as a guardian and guide, her arrivals always heralding some sort of aid. Though, for some odd reason she sensed something foreboding in the air. It wasn't the darkness that permeated this realm, it was something else just as bad; it was death. Sakura had seen much death in this world. For a digimon it was a simple matter of deleting into bits of data, still it was death all the same. The feeling grew as she noticed Duskmon growing closer. What was Maia doing? She was just standing there. While this question poised, Sakura watched attentively. The death in the air kept growing and growing, it never stopped. Sakura's eyes grew wide as she saw the red blade ascend.

The blade then found a new home, right through Maia's abdomen.

The feeling reached its height and then fell all the same. For Sakura and the others it came as a shock. Their shock was put on hold as the light blinded them, and they were gone.

Maia was glad to help safeguard her world's future in her last moments. Last moments, it really was the end. She had lived a long life, and now that life was at it's end. Most of her energy had been used to divert the Digidestined away, but there was some droplets trickled. Using what was left, Sakura completed her second task. Her vision blurred again, rolling around within her eye sockets. The last thing she saw were red eyes, the eyes that belonged to Drian.

"_Keep this world safe."_

Those were her last thoughts before her body deleted into nothing. The one formally known as the data child Drain watched with silence as the data fragments dissipated into the air. Memories followed the silence; memories of days long gone. Laughter, joy, sibling bonds, those were prominent, but they meant nothing to him. That was the past, that person no longer existed.

With a scoff, Duskmon returned to his master's side.

XXX

The regained peace of Don Guil's living room had just been disrupted again. The coffee table that he had just position so neatly was now shattered with the added weight of five humans and five digimon.

The young adult Guilmon stared blankly at the scene and sighed. "Oh well, I wanted to buy a new one anyway." He had the money so it wouldn't be that much of a hassle.

A chorus of groans came from the crushed group. "Whoever is responsible for all this random teleporting, I'm going shove my boot where the sun don't shine." Jun threatened to an invisible source. Slowly everyone managed to pick themselves up and with a bit of staggering, they were right back to form, albeit with some bruises.

"Hey were not Mega anymore!" Gazimon exclaimed.

He and Fairydramon were no longer merged with their partners, neither were the other digimon Ultimate level. Random teleporting could be the only reason, that or they were too weak.

"So what happened?" Don Guil immediately asked.

For a moment nobody knew what he was talking about. Then they quickly realized he was referring to the fight, especially when he added another question.

"There was a huge rumble coming from Fallen Angel Castle."

Upon mention of that place, the digidestined frowned. A myriad of memories played back instantaneously. None of them were pleasant. It was so sudden but it quickly sank into their minds. Still it was clear to them and they blurted it out.

"We lost."

Don Guil flinched slightly at the news. "You lost?" the reptile looked down at his feet and straightened his coat. "That's a darn shame. So any details?"

"Pretty much," Chiisi said to the point. "The Fallen Angels resurrected their leader who is basically some ancient evil digimon, and now he is probably going to take over the world." He stated that all in his dry monotone.

Once more Don Guil showed no hint of emotion on the matter. All in all he looked rather uncaring. "Well that is bad I would have to say."

"OH COME ON!" Kazuya screamed. The suddenness of it all surprised everyone present, more so that it came from Kazuya. "Is that really all you have to say about this? We lost okay? No we royally screwed up!" Kazuya's breathing grew heavy as he finished his rant, or at least part of it.

"Kazuya calm down!" Sakura attempted to reason with the disgruntled teenager.

The goggle headed boy was not finished quite yet. There was one last memory that he had to speak of. "Don't you remember what happened to Maia?"

Sakura stayed her hand from Kazuya's shoulder; a look of sadness crossed her face. The face was imitated by the rest of the group. Maia's death had dealt a hard blow to them, Sakura especially due to their shared element. The girl had been their guide, always staying behind the scenes helping when she could. Though they had not interacted long, Maia was a key factor in making them digidestined. In essence, she was responsible for the team they had formed, their bonds of friendship. The loss of what caused them to be what they are today.

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't that awesome huh?" Gazimon sadly said. Surprisingly his overinflated ego had been shattered; that was the surprising part.

A scaly hand brought him some comfort. "We weren't a match for him so it wouldn't matter." Fairydramon spoke earnestly. The Rookie was mature enough to handle the reality of the situation."

"So what do we do now?" Asked Sho.

That was a big question, their future was uncertain and they had no idea on how to face it. They were weak, they were helpless, and all after one battle.

"Giving up isn't like you Kazuya." Sakura suddenly said.

Kazuya chuckled with a sardonic hint to his voice. "Yeah, ironic isn't it?" Indeed it was that the bearer of Hope would give up.

Sakura felt useless in the situation. In some ways she agreed with Kazuya; they couldn't do a thing. This situation was hopeless at first glance, but there had to be a way out. Looking around her, she looked for any sign of hope. But as she looked, she found no such feeling upon anyone's faces. It was disheartening. They had come across this feeling several times before and they always overcame it. Now it seemed utterly impossible.

"_Don't give up."_

Sakura gasped at that voice. That sound, that tone, it couldn't be. Sakura opened her mouth to speak but before she could, she suddenly felt lightheaded. Her body swayed as she stumbled.

"Sakura?" Fairydramon called out in concern.

"I don't-" Sakura started to speak.

Inside her head, her thoughts were growing dim, as were the voices of her friends. Yet one voice rang clear, it was speaking loud and clear.

"_Relax Sakura, I'll take it from here."_

Sakura listened and obeyed and at that moment, her body went still.

"Sakura!" Kazuya grabbed her in concern as she looked ready to fall.

But that wasn't necessary as Sakura looked up with a bright grin on her face. Upon seeing it, the group had to say it looked almost angelic. There was something behind it that just seemed unnatural, but peaceful at the same time.

"_Hello __once __again __Digidestined._"

A voice came from Sakura, but it wasn't her voice. The group could not believe their ears once they heard it. But there was no doubt to whom it was.

"Maia?"

Don Guil sat himself down making himself comfortable. Straightening his jacket once again, he remarked on what was happening in a very simple manner. "Now this is freaky."

XXX

Not much had changed in the Digital World. To Grandracmon it was still the same, a world ripe with souls waiting to be corrupted. It was exhilarating.

"What are your wishes master?" Cherubimon said midst bowing. Duskmon and Lilithmon did the same , and Tsukaimon as well. The only one who didn't participate was Impmon. The Rookie looked upward towards the demon lord with shaking legs; in fact his whole body shook.

"Just what did I get myself into?" He muttered.

Grandracmon ignored the lack of worship from the imp and focused on his devoted servants. "My orders?" Grandramon posed a question. "My orders are to simply spread my darkness across the Digital World."

That order filled Cherubimon with glee. Finally! A chance to prove his loyalty to his master. There was just one problem, the order was too vague. Cherubimon demonstrated by raising himself to speak, mouth agape with words of praise and good news. Then it fell. "I-I-I'm not...sure."

Tsukaimon had remained silent from since the revival had been completed, but now she felt compelled to speak. "My creator," she began in that emotionless drawl," "what about your project?"

Cherubimon thought back to all he had done. There were so many "projects" that he didn't know which one she meant. However, there was a recent one that had slipped his mind, "My master, I have been working on something that will spread your influence to the far corners of this world." Cherubimon bowed once more. "If you so desire, I will go to implement my plan."

"Very well. Go!" Grandracmon spoke with a pleased smile.

That smile filled Cherubimon with what could be considered joy. Although joy and darkness didn't seem to fit a twisted being as the demon rabbit; maniacal glee would be a better word.

"What of us Master?" Duskmon asked.

Grandracmon turned his attention to his remaining two servants. Duskmon stood ready to undertake any task given to him. Lilithmon on the other hand held that lifeless look upon her face. The succubi had played her role well, her personality had suited his needs but now it was time for that to end.

"You have pleased me Lilithmon, but your original self is what I need." Grandracmon waved his hand in the air. There was a chilled breeze, but Lilithmon was the only one to feel it.

The wind encircled the digimon, trapping her within. Lilithmon blankly followed the trail as she felt its cool touch. In her dulled mind she accepted whatever her master did to her. It had been a long time since she had felt anything, but then something happened. There was what could be best described as a tweak in her persona. On the outside she looked the same at first, but slowly the ice that made up her looks began to melt. Something happened that shocked everyone; Lilithmon smiled.

Lilithmon placed a hand to her cheek which felt uncommonly warm. Taking it away she looked at it as well as the rest of her body. "I can feel." Lilithmon's voice held something that wasn't there before; it was emotion. The digimon laughed haughtily, grinning wide as she twirled around. "Oh thank you master! Thank you!" Lilithmon hadn't felt this good in a long time.

"You and Duskmon will take care of any loose ends." Grandracmon instructed.

"Loose ends? You mean the humans?" Lilthmon inquired.

Grandracmon nodded. Upon hearing that, Lilithmon cackled again. "Oh this will be interesting, I never got a chance to play with them."

Impmon was further shocked by the demon lady's demeanor. She seemed almost, childish.

"You and Duskmon will deal with the loose ends." Impmon's focus switched back to the evil one.

"It shall be done master." Duskmon bowed reverently. Impmon's heart began to race furiously, Something was going to happen he just knew it.

"Excellent, I leave the task to you my servants. Drown this world with my evil. Pave the way for my new kingdom!" Impmon trembled at his voice. This was a mistake, he should have just walked away after SkullMeramon's base exploded, should have walked away when he first encountered Duskmon, he definitely should have escaped when Lilithmon made him her mon toy.

Grandracmon stared up at the sky. His eyesight was fixed on something he couldn't see, at least not yet. "I have my own loose ends to keep my occupied, to make sure my kingdom comes to fruition." Just as Impmon was about to make a run for it, he stopped when he felt the death glare from Grandracmon. "You two will have some use to me." Impmon stopped, two?

"As you wish milord." Tsukaimon responded with an emotionless bow.

Impmon's blood froze along with his body. "No wait!" He pleaded.

Grandracmon paid no heed to the pleads of those weaker than him. When he saw a pawn, he most certainly used them. Impmon watched fearfully as Grandracmon outstretched his palm. The fear was brought one by what followed after. Underneath, something squirmed. A squash accompanied the squirm and ended when it showed. A single eye opened in the middle of Grandracmon's palm. Glowing a dark red, a wave of darkness spread forth and overtook Impmon and Tsukaimon. The latter did nothing as it enveloped her. The former screamed with all his breath before he fell silent.

XXX

Sho hadn't shown much cowardice during the supposed final battle. However, now he couldn't contain himself. "Maia? But you're dead!"

His exclamation was shared amongst his comrades. Maia was dead but to make matters weirder, her voice was coming out of Sakura.

"Never mind that, How the heck is she talking out of Kodiro's mouth?" Jun asked what she felt was more important; although both phenomenons were equally important.

Chiisi was the only one of them who didn't seem to have any sort of fear towards what was happening. Sure he had a look of shock upon his face just as everyone else, but he could gain an understanding. "You're using Sakura's body as a conduit."

Per usual, everybody was astounded by Chiisi's astuteness.

"You are correct Chiisi, she and I embody the element of light, so I was only able to reach out through her." Maia explained.

It made sense considering Sakura was the only one who could sense whenever Maia was aiding them. Through Sakura's glasses, a sage like shine appeared.

"I know how you all must feel, Grandracmon's revival has come to pass." Maia said somberly.

It provoked a groan from Kazuya. "Don't rub it in."

Maia looked all around through Sakura's eyes. Their sadness filled the entire room, a stench of their failure. The glow behind the glasses became sympathetic. "You can't give up. You ten are the only hope for this world."

"But how are we supposed to do anything?" Kazuya cried.

"Yeah, he beat us." Gazimon piped. The rabbit let out a sigh. "I don't think even a cigar is going to cheer me up." Though right about now the rabbit could really go for one.

Maia didn't respond to that, instead she merely held out her palms. Suddenly a bright flash filled the room and then subsided into two tiny balls of light. The light subsided as did the group lower their hands. The lights had grown into two golden orbs. Inside the center of one was an archaic looking M. The other one held a sign of infinity.

"These are the digicores of Miracles and Destiny." Maia explained.

"But I thought the bad guys had them?" Labramon asked remembering what Wisemon had told them.

"Before Duskmon slew me, I could feel them within the darkness." Maia explained. "I managed to free them and bring them here." The digicores floated towards the unpossesed kids and shattered into five glowing lights each. The twin golden streaks flowed into their bodies leaving not even a trace. The last two streaks flowed right into Sakura.

Maia gazed once more at the group, but held a particular shine for Labramon. Labramon looked the same to Maia. Again, memories of joy played back in her mind; days long past. The data child host body smiled happily with only a small taint of sadness. "Miracles and Destiny were the only elements we could find no chosen bearer for, but now I understand, it was meant for all of you." Maia proclaimed. "Throughout your journey you have done the impossible, and with it it will face your destiny as saviors of this world."

Everyone listened well. Despite the doubts they had just faced, something made them believe. Even if they didn't believe it, their drive had returned, slowly but surely.

"I have faith in you all." Maia's words had a sense of finality to it. "Goodbye."

Immediately, Sakura's body swayed for a moment before it went back to normal. Sakura looked around in confusion. The confusion lasted for only momentarily. Clear understanding appeared upon her face. It came as soon as Fairydramon went to her. She looked to Kazuya almost for guidance it seemed.

The goggle boy looked back at his friend; like her, understanding came to him. The drive and hope that had been formally squashed slowly came back. Kazuya looked down at Gazimon and then towards everyone else in the room. Clenching his fist, he looked serious. "Let's do this." He said determinedly. To everyone, that meant one thing.

The digidestined were back, and it was time to be heroes.

To be continued...

A/N: I'm starting to wonder about this fic. I'm looking at the storyline and dialogue and really it's just not up to par with everyone else's. Maybe that's why it is so unpopular? Well I'm still finishing this fic no matter how long it takes even if I feel like I am kind of waning in interest. Although, it could be because there hasn't been a lot of digimon news since the show stopped airing in the U.S. I admit, I still wish this story was popular and was featured on tv tropes or had numerous amounts of fan art like other stories, but like I said, I am still writing even if it never becomes popular.


	55. Chapter 55

The realm of the Harmonious Ones was usually a peaceful realm; or realms. Each deity held their own personal domain, and each one catered their own elements. Ebonwumon's was a swampy forest, Baihumon's a rugged canyon, Zhuqiaoumon's a realm of fire and erupting volcanos, and Azulongmon's a realm of stormy clouds and a sky filled blanketed in an aurora borealis. At their midpoint however, they merged together into a colorful blend. Brown, silver, red, and blue light circled around one another as the realms clashed together in their own distinguishing environments. All four of them were gathered, gods of the east, west, north and south.

Per usual, the god of the east was the one to gather them all and the first to speak.

"I see we are all present." Azulongmon spoke in his sage-like voice; the very sound of it holding countless wisdom.

The other gods were silent for the most part. Their faces were always fixated upon a stale look, their emotions were tied to how their bodies moved. Only those who knew of them personally could understand them.

"Aye, the humans have failed." Ebonwumon sighed. "Yep, that they did." the other head added. Both minds of the deity lowered in unison. A few leaves upon the massive tree fell upon the ancient shell. Their bright green color belied the situation at hand.

Baihumon lowered his head, growling deeply. Its tone sounded angry, awaiting to lash out at anyone, specifically the source of the rage. Beneath the feline's bold exterior, something lied underneath; a scared kitten. Although he wouldn't admit it, the guardian of the west was afraid. Out of the four he held the greatest physical might. Yet in age, he was but a mere kitten; metaphorically speaking. They had never faced such a situation, nor how to handle it.

Zhuqiaomon, the guardian of the south, reacted in a way the other four expected. Flames sparked, reducing feathers to cinders. None of the other guardians moved a muscle. These sort of outbursts happened more than once. "I knew it! We should have never placed our trust in humans!" The overblown bird bellowed. More feathers fell, producing smoke from the ashes they quickly became. The flames produced went from orange to blue in representation of his rage.

"Brother..." Azulongmon sighed exasperatingly. He had heard many of his fellow deity's rants in the past. By now he had grown used to them. "...we mustn't loose ourselves."

A blast of heat hit Azulongmon's face; it hardly affected him however, just like the rants. Even in this desperate time, the dragon could still hold his composure, an example that Baihumon and Ebonwumon latter, being the eldest, wisely stood maintained his emotions, and the youngest followed his elders.

"LOOSING MYSELF?" The bird literally set ablaze, which reached high into the heavens. "The evil one is free and your so called "chosen ones" failed to contain him!" the fires died down to a mere aura. Zhuqioumon's many eyes turned their fury to the bearded dragon. "We should have handled matters ourselves from the start." He firmly believed that, puffing out his chest for emphasis.

"You know we can't do that!" Baihumon objected. "We can't interfere in the lives of the digimon."

Ebonwumon's right head shot up. "Yeah, that's a true one, right there." The left head mimicked its twin. "They'll depend on us for every little thing...asking favors...fix every little issue." The other head stated.

Zhuqioumon felt outnumbered. His fire died away as the water of the unanimous opinions put it out. Holding his head in a sulking position, Zhuqioumon muttered, "I still think we should have done it ourselves."

The bird's opinion remained, stuck in his misanthropy towards humanity. Immediately, that sulk ended as the bird shot straight upward. Something had overcome him. It was a dark feeling, one of foreboding doom. The feeling spread like a plague towards the other guardians. Baihumon lowered his body, shivering all the while. The leaves upon Ebonwumon began to crack and dry as an eerie dark cloud spread across the holy realm. Azulongmon was the last to feel it as it passed over the others. A sound of rushing wind blew from behind. All four of them turned around and noticed a great hole had widened within the holy realm. From the whole, a dark shadow emerged, materializing before their eyes.

Grandracmon smiled as he saw the four guardians. "So, you are his successors?"

"Evil one! We will not allow you to pollute the sanctity of this realm!" Azulongmon proclaimed, as he and the others looked ready to fight.

The demon beast did the same. "Let's get to it, shall we? Your creator fell so easily...I just wonder how long you shall fair?"

XXX

The hope and resolve of the digidestined had been restored. With that said and done, they were about ready to embark towards the rest of their journey. The only problem however, was their destination. They knew how to get there, but the path to actually reach it? That was another story altogether. Additionally, they didn't know where they were even heading. Grandracmon could be anywhere, but for some reason they felt he wasn't in the Digital World.

"What makes you so sure he isn't here?" Asked Jun in response to the possibility being suggested.

Chiisi crossed his arms in certainty. "Because I can't feel him." Came the boy's response. "He had a particular dark aura, more dark than any I have ever felt before." Chiisi's eyes held an almost cold stare to them as he looked at Jun. "If he was here, I would have felt him."

"He's got a point." Sakura added. "I can sense darkness too."

That was enough for Jun to believe their words. She knew both of them were not liars and had opened her mind to new possibilities. The Digital World could be thanked for that. Yet, they were still stumped. There seemed to be no way around this situation. Maia, or Maya depending on how one would spell it, had given them words of encouragement. It had worked, but at only half effectiveness. There was still much to think about and without a clear plan, they were like lost sheep. Cliche as it sounded, it was true. This wasn't the only situation they worried about, there was still the dilemma which plagued two members of the team.

"She completely hates me." Sho thought pessimistically to himself. Sho had his back turned to his digimon, and she to his. Hesitantly, he craned his head towards her only to immediately look away. Little did he know, Labramon did the same, although neither could see them doing so. After each stolen glance, one would sigh quietly. Both of their minds were engaged in turmoiled emotions. One was guilty, and the other heartbroken.

The only calm one in this endeavor was Don Guil. The Guilmon had taken the destruction of his home very well. Sure, it may not have been what he anticipated (mostly), but most plans were not perfect. As it showed, even his brilliant plans could have bumps in the road. Still, he held some guilt in regards to the children. They were vital to his plans no doubt, but he still felt responsible for their current predicament. Silly and probably unfounded beliefs as they were, Don Guil thought hard about that. Humans were far different than digimon. The Digital World was a harsh mistress. Its inhabitants expected hard lives, particularly in digimon who preferred the wild to villages and cities. He may not have known much about the Human World, but he could tell these kids were not used to such trials. They certainly had faced enough that most would give up at, but somehow they had driven themselves to press onward. Amazing in of itself, they still couldn't completely shake off all they had witnessed.

"You know..." Don Guil began with hesitation. It was the first time he had shown such emotion. He had not shown that emotion since he first took over the family business. The reins of running this mafia had been thrust on him when he first entered adulthood. Without his mother at his side, it had been a frightening experience. But someone had been at his side. Once more, he felt Gatomon's furry embrace. His reptilian eyes stared deep into her feline eyes. Lost in each other's gaze, they grinned at one another, not afraid of showing the feelings they shared. Confidence swelled underneath his scaly chest.

"...I'd be willing to shelter you...if there's anything you need." Don Guil stepped back into hesitation for a moment. Right before Gatomon attempted to embrace her lover again, someone else spoke first.

"No thank you." Kazuya refused. The goggle boy had been silent since they had received Maia's final words. Now he felt compelled to speak. "We can't just sit and hide with the fate of the world on the line."

"I'm with you there, partner!" Gazimon chimed in along with Kazuya, per usual. "I'm itching for a rematch."

Don Guil wasn't surprised to hear that statement. As heroes, they wouldn't just sit around and do nothing. Despite the danger that loomed ahead, danger which would most certainly kill them, they were still willing to go forward. It didn't need to be said that the others shared Kazuya and Gazimon's sentiments. They were a team and they would fight as such. Amongst their shared smiles and affirmative nods, something snapped at that very moment.

"AHHHHH!" Chiisi suddenly cried.

The darkly colored boy collapsed to the ground. DemiDevimon flapped upward at his partner's sudden fall.

"Chiisi!" Sakura cried and was soon joined by the others.

Rushing to Chiisi's side, they surrounded him with care and concern in their eyes. Sakura grabbed her cousin, holding him up to her eye level. The boy's face twitched as sweat rain down his forehead. In fact, Chiisi's entire body felt warm to the touch.

"Chiisi? Speak to me!" Chiisi's sudden fever alarmed Sakura. This wasn't a normal fever, she knew that straight away; she could feel it, too.

A sharp pain surged through her body, causing her to cry out. Chiisi did the same and the two Kodiro cousins were on the floor, turning and clutching their chests.

"Sakura! Chiisi! Kid!" Kazuya, Fairydramon, and DemiDevimon's voices blended together as the trio pulled their loved ones up. When they were, everyone noticed the pair held the same look; sweaty and contorted.

"W-w-what's wrong with them?" Sho fearfully asked.

Penguinmon did his usual routine of hiding behind Jun who immediately pushed him back to the front. "Geez, grow some feathers where it counts." Jun said in an attempt to make a double entendre. Penguinmon didn't understand it, but Jun certainly did.

Amidst the shaking and voices of their friends, Chiisi and Sakura could not get rid of the emotion that plagued them currently. In their bodies they felt the sway of a powerful force growing. It was far off and distant, but the mere presence of it made them shake with fear.

Chiisi's lips quivered as he managed to spit out the dreaded word. "Darkness."

Darkness, upon the word's mention, everyone remained still. Whenever the word was involved, something bad was going down.

"It's everywhere. Spreading fast." Sakura added.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kazuya inquired.

"Exactly what it says, goggle-head." DemiDevimon retorted in a voice that said to Kazuya, "you're asking the obvious".

Ignoring that stealthy insult for the moment, Kazuya turned his attention back to his speaking friends.

"A massive surge of darkness has just sprung up." Chiisi explained. His voice had grown less pained as did his body.

Sakura's body did the very same as well as her voice. "This one was huge...it had to be Grandracmon's doing." That may have been the obvious, but it certainly held an air of fear behind it.

"Where's it coming from?" Fairydramon asked with a serious tone. If her partner felt such evil, than Fairydramon knew that it would potentially cause her harm.

"I don't know...everywhere." Sakura answered.

"Well, we'll just go after them all!" Gazimon piped confidently.

Shortly after Sakura spoke, Chiisi's body had returned to it's former calm demeanor. Brushing a loose strand of his hair aside, the boy looked up at them with his cold eyes. "There's no time. The surges are too far and wide. Even if we do manage to reach them all, it would be too late."

"Too late for what?" Sho asked, again showing the fear in his voice.

Chiisi stared at his older bi-racial friend. The silence and the sternness of the look simply told him the possible consequences of undertaking such a task. Simply put, they would try but they would fail.

Hopelessness filled everyone's mind, completely obliterating the former hope they had. A new dilemma had just filled their minds and at the present time, they were clueless on how to get past it. Kazuya on the other hand didn't seem willing to give up. The boy thought hard on what they should do. There had to be a way around it. The question was how?

"Ugh, I got nothing!" Kazuya at last exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat.

"Oh, come on pal! Aren't you Mr Optimism?" Gazimon questioned skeptically.

Kazuya shot his partner a glare. "Hey, Even I have moments of doubt."

"There could be a way."

Out of the moment of dread, a voice spoke up against the darkness that loomed. Chiisi had been the first to regain his composure since he felt the evil surge. Now, he was the first with an idea to their plight. A few of them looked on skeptically at the boy's proclamation, but it didn't last; if anyone had a knowledge about darkness, it was Chiisi.

"What do you have in mind, kid?" DemiDevimon was the first to demonstrate his trust in him.

Chiisi felt a boost of confidence inside him, but he held his own hesitation. Darkness was always a difficult subject for him; for obvious reasons. Sakura knew it as well. She couldn't forget how she was forced to fight against her own cousin back when he was corrupted into the dark prince. Looking right into her younger cousin's eyes, she spoke without words.

"You can do this, Chiisi."

Chiisi picked up on it and he was thankful for it.

"If I can channel the darkness, then perhaps I could move us to the different spots it has manifested." Chiisi explained.

The abrupt explanation appeared to ring interest in the rest of the group. Everyone else looked at one another and agreed...almost everyone, that is.

"Hold on a second!" Jun was part of the almost everyone category. "Don't get me wrong, this idea sounds like it could work, but I don't want to end up being dropped on a mountain or at the bottom of the sea."

"Relax, all of them are on land." Chiisi reassured. It almost worked on Jun, but an exact location was needed. Chiisi didn't need to be told that. Closing his eyes, he began to focus. His focus lasted for a full minute before he opened his eyes. "One of them is across the sea, another is where the castle was, and the other..." Chiisi closed his eyes once more. He opened them again quickly and with disbelief. "It's right here...it's in the city."

Looks of gaping surprise travelled all around. The thought of such an evil formation in their own metaphorical backyard. Several hands fell to their digivices in preparation for an evolution. Chiisi however, eyed them with reassurance.

"I say we split up." Kazuya suddenly announced. "That way we could take them all at once."

Another argument would have followed out of Jun, but she knew what was at stake. Personal feelings would have to be put aside. "I take the farthest one." Jun flashed a cocky smile. Penguinmon on the other flipper wasn't so happy at that news. "Keep your beak shut." Jun commanded. Penguinmon obediently obeyed.

"I want to take the castle!" Sakura suddenly announced. Her sudden outburst was sudden and unexpected, but Fairydramon knew immediately why.

Kazuya was still in the dark, yet wherever Sakura went, he would follow. "I'm going with you." A simple smile was exchanged between the two friends. Fairydramon would follow the same path as always, and that was enough for Gazimon.

"And wherever Fairydramon goes, I go!" Gazimon grabbed hold of Fairydramon's scaly arm. The dragoness scowled in annoyance for only a few moments. For some reason, she didn't mind Gazimon's touch as much.

"Then that leaves the city to Sho and I." Said Chiisi.

Sho let out a weary sigh. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

Clenching his fist, Kazuya raised it high to the air. "All right guys. Let's do this!"

Don Guil smiled at the cheer. The party's renewed resolve strengthened his own. His worries were nonexistent as he sat back and watched the show. The show itself was the Digital World's heroes going to do their jobs; saving the world. A cold chill ran through the air as Chiisi raised up his hands. The chillness may have been cold, but the evil scent was nonexistent. Two dark portals opened up, large enough for two groups to pass through. Kazuya, Sakura, and their respective digimon went through one, while Jun and Penguinmon went through another. Chiisi, Sho, and their own digimon were the only ones left.

"We should get walking." Chiisi directed before walking off with DemiDevimon perched on his shoulder.

Sho sighed again with a shrug of his shoulders and went off as well. Labramon hung her head low as she dutifully followed after.

"There they go." Don Guil commented. The embrace of Gatomon felt even warmer. "They didn't even have a hint of fear in their eyes when they stepped through." The children and their digimon indeed stepped through the dark portals without any sort of hesitation. It was admirable.

"Hopefully, they can keep the world safe for us." Gatomon purred sinking into her master. "The three of us, that is."

Don Guil's eyes widened at the last bit. "What?"

Gatomon looked him right in the eye, grabbed his claw, and moved it toward her belly. As his lover grinned, Don Guil fainted right then and there.

XXX

Power; for so long he had craved it, and now he tasted it. It had frightened him at first, he never had imagined it would be like this. Moving his arm up, the leather that coated his body stretched with a sliding squeak. Its very sound was music to his ears.

"Yes! Now this is da kind of thing I'm talking about!" He exclaimed in his accented voice.

Amidst his joy, he sensed something, putting the jovial moment on hold. Something was coming. It was far off but he knew the scent; darkness. The scent soon vanished but left some new ones behind. At first he couldn't believe it, but he quickly recognized them.

"Well, look who decided to show up." He remarked with a smirk. "How's about we go pay dem a little visit?" He asked to his companion.

A sickening squelch sounded out as a single eyeball turned to face the demonic digimon. "There is no need for asking," The digimon responded in a feminine, but emotionless voice. "Our master gave us this power to destroy the chosen ones."

In response to her blank response, he sighed. "Never a dull moment with you is dere?" He sarcastically remarked. His companion didn't seem to care about that remark as well.

From the ruins of Fallen Angel castle, a flapping of wings and the hum of a motorcycle rang out. Soon there was silence once more as its former inhabitants departed.

XXX

Monde Gardens; a place of tranquility amongst the bright lights. It was surprising to find a place of nature within the city. The group of Chiisi, Sho, and their digimon stumbled across this place, not for recreation but for purpose. Chiisi's sense of darkness had brought them here...much to Sho's chagrin... but duty called.

"Looks pretty nice, huh?" Sho commented to no one other than Labramon.

The canine looked at her partner without much emotion in her eyes. "Sure..." Turning her head away she sighed. In turn, Sho sighed as well. He just couldn't make his partner happy anymore.

"This is where the darkness is flowing from." Chiisi announced. "We should get going." He said while brushing a strand of hair aside.

The party walked inside the wide gate into the gardens. Cobblestones lined the path, and tall hedges walled their sides. The path in the middle led to a colorful flowerbed. None of the flowers looked like they were from earth, coming in shades of purple, red, blue, green among others, all mixed together into a pleasant blend. From the flower's center, the cobblestone path separated into three different hedge walls. More than likely they led to further parts of the garden with even more botanical splendor. From the tranquil surroundings, the idea that it was filled with the powers of darkness seemed far fetched.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Asked Sho.

"I'm sure." Came Chiisi's quick response.

Looking around, Sho could hardly see any reason Chiisi would come to that conclusion. "The place looks fine to me."

"Hey, the kid knows what he's talking about." DemiDevimon breathed in some fresh air as he stretched his wings. "Just smell that dark air, it's refreshing."

Dark and refreshing didn't seem like a good mix, but to a dark digimon it was. While Sho may not have been able to feel it, Chiisi and DemiDevimon could still smell it. Labramon's hair stood on end showing she could feel it as well. A low growl escaped her throat, alerting Sho. The growling made his chest tighten with nervousness. At that moment, the teen started to believe in the younger boy's words.

"Agh!" Chiisi let out a groan as he felt pain in his chest; just like before.

"What's wrong?" Sho cried, the panic inside him swelling up.

Chiisi was about to answer, that is until he felt the pain in his chest once more. It beat inside him like a heart. That was the least of his thoughts the moment he felt the wind blow. Sho's panicked cries and Labramon's barks mixed in with the howls of the air. The wind began to twirl like a cyclone. There was a crack of what sounded like thunder and above a dark cloud formed. The cloud then burst into a mist entrapping everyone within. Instantly it vanished, leaving no one within the Monde Gardens.

XXX

The next thing Sho felt was something soft against his body and in his mouth; it was sand. Immediately he spat it out, or at least attempting to, though he could still taste the grainy feeling in his mouth. Raising himself up, his eyes winced at the sunlight that beat down on him. With squinted sight he managed to survey the land around him. Nothing but golden sand and blue skies greeted him. Standing out amongst the gold, a furry kind lied close to him.

"Labramon!"

Sho's voice turned the canine right around. Labramon's body language indicated she was excited, and for a moment she certainly appeared so. But the moment she noticed Sho, her expression fell.

"Oh...hello Sho." Labramon muttered sadly.

Sho's expression fell. "Labramon...come on." This had been going on long enough. Every time he noticed Labramon's depression, he in turn felt it. Right about now he wished he could turn back the clock, just to switch events around so different words were exchanged. The past couldn't be changed, and he had to live with what he had said. Not if he had a choice however. The past could not be changed, but he could still make amends.

"Labramon. " Sho called roughly. It was an attempt to make himself more commanding. Labramon picked up on the change of tone in his voice, yet still wore the same expression she always wore, at least recently.

"Yes, Sho?" Her voice sounded so depressed. It was heartbreaking for Sho to see his once perky digimon reduced to this.

The boy almost didn't say anything. Just looking at her sad puppy dog eyes was enough to make him hesitate. That, or Sho was still a weakling.

"Labramon...I-" He managed to get a couple words out. Still, it wasn't enough, he needed a few more.

"OHHOHOHOHOHO!" Before Sho could get another word out, loud laughter filled the air. It was loud, infectious, and befitting that of a noblewoman.

"My my. Such a sad state of affairs." The voice came again. Sho and Labramon looked about, searching for who could be speaking. They found no one, but the laughter came again.

"Up here, my little sparrows."

Taking cue, the pair looked up to see something materializing within the air. Black was the first color they saw, followed by pale skin. They had seen this figure before, and when it materialized in full, they knew who it was, and they felt nervous.

Lilithmon floated above, staring down at the duo with a smirk upon her face.

"You're one of the Fallen Angels!" Sho cried fearfully. Labramon growled, bearing her teeth and brandishing her claws.

Lilithmon hardly seemed affected by that. Instead, she floated down, leaning in a relaxing position. "Oh please, enough with the dramatics, I wouldn't dream of fighting you two." The succubus landed upon the soft ground and flicked her dress aside, exposing her bare legs.

For a moment, Sho felt hot as he stared at that naked skin. So soft and smooth it looked, he could feel his hormones acting up already. Labramon noticed this and immediately went on full alert. "Just what do you want, you evil hussy?" Labramon snarled.

Once more, Lilithmon didn't seemed the least bit affected. "Still defending him I see?"

Labramon didn't falter at that. "Why wouldn't I? He's my partner, I have to protect him!" When he heard that, Sho felt hopeful, hopeful that he and his digimon would regain their former relationship.

Looking down at the loyal canine, Lilithmon smirked. "Why protect someone who broke your heart?" The question made Labramon's growls cease; Sho's hope fell as well. Slowly, Lilithmon began to circle the pair speaking in her sultry tone. "You waited for this boy ever since you were a digitama, dreaming of being by his side."

Labramon and Sho could feel something in the air at that moment. They weren't sure what it was, but it felt like it was sinking into their skin. Their emotions and heads felt light and susceptible.

"And when he arrived, you were as happy as could be, no?" Lilithmon poised another question.

Labramon didn't need to think hard on that one. "Yes...I was happy to see him." For a brief moment, her tail wagged. The memory of her first meeting with Sho was a fond one. Indeed, she had waited for Sho a long time, even before she knew who he was. His face had been ingrained inside her head for a long time. When they finally did meet, she felt the joy inside her ready to burst. She wished she could relive that moment, if only to savor it.

"You devoted yourself to him, even ready to lay your life down for him." Lilithmon continued.

Again, that was true. Sho was her human, and she would protect him with her life if need be. Sho continued to listen, the hope inside him dwindling all the more.

"But it was more than that for you, wasn't it?" Lilithmon poised. "For you it went beyond a mere partnership. You grew to have feelings for him."

A third time that was true. Even Sho knew that, but said nothing in regards to it. It felt too awkward to bring up.

"Uh huh." Labramon responded.

"And what did he do?" Lilithmon asked.

Labramon looked down at her paws, which were digging in the sand. "He didn't feel the same way about me." Saying that gutted her, Sho as well. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt Labramon.

Lilithmon wickedly grinned. "Yes, he did. After all you did for him, it was just so painful, wasn't it?"

Sho heard a sniff coming from Labramon. Following the sniff, there was a gritting sound, a grinding of teeth. Turning her head around, Sho saw tears flowing down from Labramon's eyes. The strange sensation that filled the air was intensified. "Why Sho-chan? Why can't you feel the same way about me?" Anger had gripped the canine's entire being. Sho didn't know what to say, so he merely stood there with guilt.

Lilithmon craned her head down to Labramon's level. "Such a thoughtless boy, hurting his friend like that." Her voice sounded sympathetic. "Don't worry, I know a way to make the pain go away." Lilithmon's grin grew even more wicked, right before she disappeared. Labramon blinked once and before her eyes, Lilithmon materialized in front of Sho.

Sho felt very cold at that moment. The woman before him gave an intimidating yet alluring presence. Still, the cold feeling remained nonetheless. In moments he felt coldness spread around his entire body. His eyes went wide when he first saw it. The nails of her decayed hand extended into long blades. Rearing it back, she lunged forward. Sho's wide eyes practically bugged out of their head, right as Lilithmon's nails jammed into his gut. Labramon gasped as the spray of blood coughed out of Sho's mouth.

"SHO-CHAN!" Labramon screamed.

Lilithmon retracted her blood stained nails. "I've stained my nails." Lilithmon lamented.

"YOU HEARTLESS BITCH!"

Lilithmon was alerted to Labramon's screams of fury. However, she wasn't the least bit intimidated, even when Labramon charged towards her. With a short chuckle, she vanished right as Labramon lunged. The canine fell face first into the sand. That didn't deter her fury. "GET BACK HERE!" Labramon screamed, but to no avail; Lilithmon was gone.

The demon woman was the least of her worries. What really was important was the one that had fallen.

"Sho-Chan!" Labramon screamed, rushing over to the boy.

Blood stained the sand coloring it a grainy red, like encrusted blood. Looking at his face, Labramon could see no life shining in his eyes. She shook her head in disbelief, not bothering to hold back their tears.

"Sho-chan...my Sho-chan." She whimpered. With deep breaths her chest heaved. Her mind filled with despair and gloom. Yet, within that darkness, she found a light of possibility. There was something she could do to save her beloved Sho-chan. Standing firm, but hiccuping a sob occasionally, she held out her chest and uttered softly, "Cure Liquor."

Labramon's body began to glow a myriad of rainbow colors. Sparkles shone off her fur like diamonds. With a twinkling sound, they transferred from Labramon, to Sho's corpse. Sho's body glowed just the same as Labramon's. Labramon's face strained as the sparkles continued to coat Sho. The coat appeared to be doing its job. Sho's wounds began to close and all traces of blood vanished from him. Additionally, his clothing mended itself. The life in Sho's eyes began to flash, and in moments he blinked.

"W-Wha?" Sho rose in confusion at what had happened. "Did I die?" Sho asked, as he came to his senses, rising to his feet with his legs shaking like jelly.

His eyes still had trouble focusing on the sunlight. Like before, he noticed a particular gold among the sand.

"Labramon!" He cried when he noticed Labramon collapsed and glowing. Not even afraid of the body change of his digimon, Sho grabbed hold of her. "Labramon! Are you okay?" Shaking her body provoked no response.

Labramon didn't need shaking to respond. She had heard Sho. "S-S-Sho-chan?" Labramon asked. When she smiled, she felt relief. "I did it, my Cure Liquor worked."

"Cure Liquor?" Sho spoke in confusion. Then he remembered the attack Labramon had mentioned long ago. It had been fortunate that Labramon possessed such an attack, or healing move, to be more precise. Yet, something didn't seem right.

Labramon's body began to distort and ripple. The sparkles around her body started to feel lighter and for a moment, Sho saw her fade in and out.

"What's wrong with you?" Sho shook his digimon again.

Labramon whimpered and smiled. "I-I-It's all right Sho-chan, It's all right."

Sho remembered something Labramon had explained once. He had died, and Labramon had used her ability to it's full power. That could only mean one thing. "Labramon! Hang on!" Sho panicked. "I'll get some help!" Of course help was nowhere to be found, nor would it be ever.

"Sho-chan?"

Labramon's voice whispered to the human.

Sho listened well, holding her close. "Labramon, don't speak."

Labramon could only manage to smile. "Goodbye Sho-chan, I was glad to have met you." Her body continued to distort, fading in and out of existence. Labramon smiled once more. "I...love...you." Labramon's body burst into a million sparkles that vanished into the air.

Sho sat there stunned, not moving an inch. Clenching his fists, he finally spoke. "LABRAMON!" He screamed to the sky, and then he cried.

To be continued...


	56. Chapter 56

Walking within your own digimon was a hard to explain feeling. Kazuya and Sakura could tell they were walking, but at the same time they weren't; KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon were doing all the walking.

"Why do we have to walk?" Gazimon's voice rang out within the Digital void that was his body.

"I told you, we have to be on our toes." Kazuya explained. "If we fly in, we could give ourselves away."

"Away to what? We're the only ones out here."

"Don't argue. I know what I'm doing, okay?"

"Hey, I'm just using some common digimon sense."

"Well, I'm not a digimon, okay?"

"BOTH OF YOU, BE QUIET!"

Celestialdramon's voice bellowed. The dragon woman's face was bright red with fury. "Honestly, you two are acting like a pair of hatchlings!"

Immediatly, KnightGenkimon (and Kazuya within) sheepishly shut themselves up.

Inside her own digimon, Sakura removed her hands from her ears. Being the closest to Celestialdraman (literally) she received the brunt of it in terms of volume. Landing in this desolate place had not yielded any fruit. They had sensesd a dark presence from within the gate and it led them here; near the ruins of Fallen Angel Castle. They could make out the dead building far in the distance. To think they had been there to witness the creation of said ruins. She felt like a part of history, only this wasn't ancient Rome. They almost decided to turn back, but put that thought aside, since they were brought here for a reason. If only Maia was still around. Sakura knew the digital child would have the answers if she were still alive. But she wasn't, Duskmon had seen to that. Sakura's thoughts darkened at the thought of the evil digimon. Darkness; something she was in tune with, or rather opposed to. Just as her cousin was in opposition of light.

Just as her darkness and light dilemma was coming to a collision with her current mindtrack, real life took hold.

"Something's coming." She announced. Her clear face creased with seriousness.

KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon looked forward towards the distant ruins. Something was coming. Two shapes were approaching and the closer they got, the closer a sound reverberated.

"Is that a motorcycle?" Kazuya asked.

A hum rang out throughout the valley, growing louder as the shapes grew closer. It wasn't just a motorcycle, but a flapping of wings as well. The wings belonged to another figure. Eventually, their features cleared as they reached a suitable distance. One of them was a dark gray color, and could only be described as a flying eyeball, only with legs, arms, and wings extending out of it. Embedded within the palms were eyes, as yellow as the one in the middle.

The other figure, although less grotesque looking, was just as demonic. It was the driver of the motorcycle. It was a demon completely decked out in leather, like a biker. Which was fitting considering the motorcycle he was riding. More of his features were made out as the cycle came to a grounding halt. A leather jacket? Check. A full leather bodysuit? Check. Leather gauntlets? Check Everything about this digimon screamed biker. His head revealed a pale mouth with most of said head covered by a blue faceplate, blond hair spilling back from behind. Swinging his tail, the digimon stepped off his ride.

"Well, lookie what we got here, Deathmon." The digimon's voice was accented in a sterotypical New Yorken accent.

The other digimon rotated its single eye with a sickening squelch.

"Indeed, Beelzemon. The humans have merged into singular entities with their digimon." The digimon known as Deathmon spoke in a dead monotone.

Beelzemon sweatdropped. "Dat's not what I meant."

Name: Deathmon

Level: Mega

Attribute: Data

Type: Demon Lord

Attacks: Death Arrow, Explosion Eye

Name Beelzemon

Level: Mega

Attribute: Virus

Type: Demon Lord

Attacks: Double Impact, Darkness Claw

"Who are you!" KnightGenkimon withdrew his energy blade, immediately sensing these digimon were a threat. Celestialdramon did the same with her weapon.

Beelzemon chuckled. "What, you can't tell already?" Slightly amused Beelzemon pointed to his arm. "Here's your first clue, and this broad's monotone should tell you enough." Around his arm, was a red bandanna, perfectly wrapped.

It certainly looked familiar to the two fused digimon, and their humans inside, but...

"Nope...Don't have a clue." KnightGenkimon answered.

Beelzemon nearly fell over once he heard that. Deathmon did nothing but just stand there. Gritting his teeth, Beelzemon reached behind and to his side and pulled out two double barrel shotguns.

"Maybe these babies will jog your memories! Double Impact!"

Pointing them towards the pair, he pulled the trigger and fired.

XXX

Sho felt dead. The pain in his chest felt like fire, his eyes felt like fire, everything was like fire to him. His hands trembled as his nerves twitched along with his emotions. His multiracial face showed the dirt and wear it had accumulated over the journey. His chest sent another pang of fire through him. His death wound had been acting up as the metaphorical flames racked his entire body. It could not be ignored, or denied any longer; Labramon was dead. His digimon was dead. Not just his digimon, his best friend also.

The traces of Labramon's data flew high into the sky as the wind carried it.

The tears streamed down in tiny droplets, staining his face.

"Labramon." He muttered quietly.

"There there." Sho could hear the soothing sound of a woman's voice; a familiar voice.

Turning his head, he could see a hand wiping away his tears; a decayed hand. Immediately going to his feet, he whirled around to see the smirking face of Lilithmon.

"You!" Sho's face scrunched with fury. Stepping a few feet away, his right hand balled into a fist while his other put a hand over his abdomen. That's right, he was stabbed; by her. He had died, but Labramon had saved him. Her...It was all her fault.

"You...You're the reason Labramon's dead!" Sho shouted.

Lilithmon's smirk vanished into a surprised glance. "My fault?" The surprise turned right back into that smirk. "AHAHAAHAHAAHAHAAH! Oh my dear boy, you are too amusing."

"Stop laughing!" Sho had never been this enraged in his life.

"But it's so funny. You have the gall to actually blame me when it was your doing." Lilithmon laughed.

"My fault!" Sho's anger had yet to subside.

Lilithmon's laughter lasted for a few seconds more before it subsided completely. "She did it out of love for you. She loved you with all her heart and you threw that love away and stomped on it."

That's when Sho remembered. He had broken Labramon's heart that night. Like a careless monster he had just destroyed the affection she harbored towards him. Well, monster may have been an exaggeration, but he couldn't forget her face that day. He had known Labramon had a crush on him. She wasn't too secretive about it with all her flirting and whatnot. Every time she would brush against him, or twirl his hair, or wink seductively, he would ignore it, tried to pretend it wasn't happening. But, he knew this day would come when he would have to break it to her. Gently he had hoped, but it wasn't too be. Bluntly was his procedure and it worked; too well. Labramon was his best friend and here he had hurt her. He was supposed to be the child of Friendship, and Love apparently. What a joke that was, he thought to himself.

"I-I-I had no choice." Came Sho's excuse. "I didn't feel the same way."

Lilithmon chuckled once more. "Poor boy. Let me ease your suffering."

With a wave of her decayed hand, swirls of darkness appeared in front of him. A shape began to materialize in front of him as the swirls completed their ascent. Four paws came forth, followed by a tail and body. Sho recognized the shape, and the digimon that it belonged to.

"Berbermon?"

It was Cerberumon, however not the Cerberumon he had known. Firstly, the claws were nothing but large metal spikes protruding too far to really support itself properly. The rest of its body had a spikier appearance than before. Then there was the face, demonic and unfriendly.

"Let this be your punishment." Lilithmon sneered.

The mockery of Cerberusmon then pounced with a growl.

XXX

"Double Impact!" The bullets flew from Beelzemon's guns. They made a pinging noise right off of KnightGenkimon's armor. Despite hitting the armor, he felt the pain each bullet brought.

"Eh, what's the matter, rabbit? Having a bit of trouble dodging?" Beelzemon gloated.

KnightGenkimon was indeed having trouble dodging. As fast as he moved, the faster Beelzemon was at dodging.

"Beam Lancet!" KnightGenkimon fired his energy beams right at Beelzemon, who swiftly dodged them just as before. KnightGenkimon kept up the assault as much as he could; however, Beelzemon tried a new tactic. Hopping upon his bike. He sped around, continuing more of the relentless assault.

"Damn! This is getting annoying!" KnightGenkimon (and by proxy Kazuya) complained. The beam Lancet's were getting them nowhere fast and so far all this rushing around wasn't yielding any results. Summoning another beam lancet, KnightGenkimon lobbed it towards Beelzemon, but not at the digimon himself. A vast explosion knocked Beelzemon from his ride. The attack completely destroyed the demonic bike, leaving a somewhat charred Beelzemon.

"My ride!" He exclaimed. That pushed a serious button. "Darkness Claw!" Beelzemon leapt up slashing at KnightGenkimon with his darkness empowered claws.

Meanwhile, Celestialdramon was having a duel with Deathmon. The two girls were busy fighting with physical blows.

"Death Arrows." Deathmon spoke in her monotone voice. From her palm eyes, twin beams of red energy shot forward. However, Celestialdramon parried them away with her own attack.

"Agni Staff!" The fire from her staff destroyed the energy beams. This went on, energy and fire shooting towards one another as the battle commenced. Striking with her staff, she managed to get a hit in on Deathmon. However, Deathmon merely shrugged it off.

KnightGenkimon was having similar luck with Beelzemon. The demon digimon switched back and forth between his bullets and his claws, while KnightGenkimon had no choice but to defend with his energy sword.

"What's the matter, bunny boy? Do I ring any bells, now?" Beelzemon ranted.

"I still don't know who you are!" KnightGenkimon retorted. That was a bad thing to say as it only infuriated Beelzemon further. Between a moment of brief reprieve, KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon stood side by side.

"They don't seem to be letting up." Said Celestialdramon.

"Tell me something I don't know." KnightGenkimon replied.

Beelzemon and Deathmon did the same thing, side by side badasses who were ready to pounce once more.

"Heh, this is easier than I thought it would be." Beelzemon gloated,

Deathmon's eye shifted with a squelch. "Affirmative. Their bodies are hardly built for adequate combat prowess."

Breaking away from the back to back stance, Beelzemon cocked his gun. "Heh. I bet I can take them on myself. What about you?"

"Explosion Eye." Deathmon's center eye glowed a deep crimson, and from it emerged a beam of energy. Beelzemon narrowly dodged the attack, but he lost a good chunk of his leather jacket in the process.

"Hey, watch it you dumb broad!" Beelzemon roared.

KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon, who had dodged the attack, observed the tiny argument which still continued.

"Come on! I'm yellin at ya and you aint showin any emotion!" Beelzemon further ranted. Deathmon simply stood there and looked like...like a...woman who wouldn't defend herself.

"They don't seem to be getting along." Celestialdramon noticed.

KnightGenkimon noticed this as well, although Beelzemon was the only one who actually showed emotion, the other simply stood there like a rock. "Yeah, I know...this could work."

"Hey you!" KnightGenkimon called over to Beelzemon. The demon digimon turned away from his rant for the moment and observed the knightly rabbit. "You going to let her get away with nearly killing you like that?"

Beelzemon thought for a moment before turning towards Deathmon with an angry glare in his eye.

"What are you doing?" Celestialdramon hissed.

KnightGenkimon winked. "Trust me, just trying to throw a wrench of dissent in there." He explained. Although, he wasn't sure if it would work.

"You know what? Forget you! I can handle these goons by myself! You just sit there and look pretty, okay toots?"

It worked.

"I calculate your chances for victory are exceedingly low on your own. As are mine." Deathmon continued in her monotonous drawl.

"I don't care." Beelzemon scoffed. I've got enough strength for the two of us." He gloated.

This was perfect, KnightGenkimon thought. With this little wrench thrown in, they could pick them off one by one.

"You are incorrect...I have the strength." Deathmon responded.

Before Beelzemon could react, he felt a sharp pain through his abdomen as Deathmon impaled him with one of her claws.

"I am 90% positive that your strength, in addition to my own, will be enough to eliminate the targets." Deathmon explained.

Beelzemon gave strangled gasps as he felt the pain tearing into him. With a scream, he exploded into packets of data which then flew right into Deathmon. Deathmon's body began to change, as her skin color turned from gray to black. An overwhelming power seemed to radiate from the newly-colored digimon.

Name: Deathmon (Black)

Level: Mega

Attribute: Virus

Type: Demon Lord

Attacks: Death Arrow, Explosion Eye

KnightGenkimon stared with wide eyes. "That was unexpected."

Celestialdramon sighed. "You idiots." She, of course, referred to Kazuya as well, seeing as the plan was made by both boys, and she knew it.

XXX

Sho's heart felt ready to burst right out of his chest. His legs felt as if they were about to fall off from all the running. That contributed to his heart condition, but mostly it was the stress of this situation.

"That it. Run, little worm." Lilithmon taunted.

High above, the demoness floated, staring down at the frightened boy. Behind him, the facsimile version of Cerberusmon chased Sho down, eager to chomp him into pieces.

"Do you like it, Sho?" Lilithmon asked. "This is the embodied pain you caused your partner. All of this is because of you."

Labramon was dead because of him. Sho couldn't deny that. She gave his life to save him right after he had torn her heart in two.

"Her sorrow, her grief...it's delicious, no?"

The Cerberusmon monster snapped at Sho's heels. Could this be how she felt? Did Labramon really harbor all of this emotion towards him? His legs were starting to cramp. Physical Education wasn't really his strong point, and it showed. The chest pains were growing larger, his poor ribcage barely containing his heart.

"Tell me, did you enjoy hurting her?"

Labramon's face was the only thing he saw in his mind. Her tear stained eyes brought tears to his own. Shutting them, he raced onward in an attempt to flee for his life, and to drown the image out. It didn't work. He ran, and he ran, but it was to no avail. Sho collapsed right then and there.

"Awwww, tired little boy?" Lilithmon mockingly asked.

Sho could not run any farther. Or maybe he just didn't want to run anymore. The facsimile Cerberusmon loomed above, hanging silently. Sho heard a low growl echo up from its great chest. He stared into its soulless eyes, eyes that lacked the joy that Labramon often held.

"Just get it over with." Sho muttered.

Sho's remark provoked a smile from Lilithmon. This was what she had hoped to see...the moment the climax would commence. Sho knew this was the end as well, and part of him felt he deserved it. The fakemon pounced forward and Sho closed his eyes. Lilithmon kept her own open, gleefully watching every moment. But her moment would not happen. Suddenly, a bright light flashed from the sky, shooting down like a fallen star from the sky. At that moment, Sho opened his eyes and was drawn into a white world. The fake Cerberusmon growled in pain as the light burned it. Lilithmon let out a scream as her body was enveloped in the glowing hell (hell for her at least). Sho's body soon vanished into the light as well, taking him to a brand new world.

XXX

This must have been heaven. The bright light, the feeling of peace in the soul; that fake Cerberusmon must have done him in.

Sho-chan

He heard it. That was her voice. Sho looked around the white void, but found nothing.

"Labramon?"

Before him came a bright flash. He didn't bother shielding his eyes, for it felt warm and welcoming. The light materialized into a round oval shape. When it cleared, it revealed an egg, one with a golden creamy color, and pink stripes. It took him a moment to realize it.

"Labramon!" With a grin he grabbed hold of the egg. Holding it close, he could feel the life within. "That's right, Digimon are reborn when they die." Sho remembered that bit when they visited Primary Village. Although that brought into question if all digimon were like that. Did that mean every digimon in the world was the same as they had died before? Even with all of the confusing questions going through his mind, nothing had made Sho happier to have his digimon's digitama in his arms. Sho expected it to hatch right then and there, but nothing happened. Was she just freshly reborn?

"You're still protecting me." Sho realized. "Even after what I did."

Sho fell silent. "Labramon….I'm sorry."

Nothing stirred from the egg. "I'm so sorry. It's not how I wanted things to turn out." Sho apologized. "But part of it is true. I….don't love you in that way."

Again, there was nothing from the egg.

"There are two kinds of love….the love between lovers…..and the love between friends." Sho was both honest and blunt. "I may not love you in that way, but I love you as a friend." Tears fell from his eyes. "You're the best friend I've ever had, and you always will be. No one can take your place….Labramon, please come back…please."

Sho let his tears out, giving himself a good sob, all the while clutching his partner's digitama. The egg still didn't move, it merely gave off its presence of warmth. Then...it moved. Slowly, but surely it moved. Sho felt the continuing warmth spreading up from the egg and to him. With wide eyes, Sho watched as a crack formed and spread. When the entire egg was full of hairline cracks, there was a great bursting of light from within. Sho didn't bother shielding his eyes, just like before. When the light cleared, a familiar shape floated right in front of him; Labramon.

"Hello Sho-chan." There were tears in Labramon's eyes. But, they were not tears of sorrow, but joy.

"Labramon?" Sho said, almost in disbelief.

No words followed the question. The two friends embraced each other in a hug. While this was happening, Sho's chest beat with the symbol of Love. Another blinding light, this time red, shone forth and enveloped the pair.

"Labramon! Jogress Warp Evolve!"

The data piled on, changing Labramon's form and adding Sho in. A humanoid figure formed within the light. Yet, there were canine features added within. At last, a large pair of wings burst forth from the back. The evolution continued for a bit before finishing in a spectacular display of light.

"Anubismon!"

The white realm disappeared instantly and they were back in the true world. Lilithmon floated above, only this time, her earlier smirk was replaced with a fearful glance.

The new digimon, Labramon's mega form, was a humanoid jackal. Her fur was a light blue with darker blue markings, not unlike Egyptian hieroglyphics, were etched on her arms and chest. Her clothing consisted of a white swirl with Golden Egyptian symbols on the sides. Her feet were covered with a pair of golden colored sandals. Various bits of jewelry were strewn about her body. Two golden rings hovered around her paws and two blue jeweled arm bracelets were worn above. Lastly, she wore a charm around her neck of red and gold. Her hair was long and black, with two long stands braided in the front. A dark blue fur mask hung upon her face, and two golden wings spread from her back.

Name: Anubismon

Level: Mega

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Wizard

Attacks: Pyramid Power, Amemit

Lilithmon floated downward, clearly unimpressed. "Well, what do we have here?"

"Lilithmon." Anubismon spoke, her voice sounding like a mixture of Labramon and Sho's. "You delight in the torment of others...I cannot forgive this!"

Lilithmon immediately gave a haughty laugh. "OHOHOHOHO! You can't forgive me? Am I supposed to care? I do delight in the torment of others, what of it?"

Inside Anubismon, Sho hung in an orange void, the same color as his digivice. "We aren't going to let her get away with this!" Sho said, determinedly. This determination wasn't something he felt every day. Although, considering the fact this girl had killed him, he felt some sort of vengeance was in order. However, it was unbecoming of him.

"Don't worry, Sho-chan! We'll beat her!" Labramon's perky voice pipped up.

Sho grinned, believing his partner's words. "Yeah, let's get her!"

Outside, Lilithmon observed her new adversary carefully. "Hmm, the wings are a nice touch, and the jewelry is a fine addition." Lilithmon had halted her circling. "But overall, I'm rather unimpressed by the lack of feminine beauty in this form."

Anubismon blinked. "What?"

"I mean come on; you're supposed to be a female? Please. You're nothing but a mangy, flea-bitten, cur."

Anubismon's right eye twitched at that remark. "Flea-bitten, cur?"

Inside, Sho could feel some sort of stirring within their shared body. "Uh Labramon, are you okay?"

"She called me a flea-bitten, cur! Can you believe that, Sho-chan?" Labramon ranted. "I'm definitely a lady! I'm totally a lady! I'm the ladiest lady if there ever was a lady!"

Instinctively, Anubismon gave a hearty smack to Lilithmon's cheek.

For a moment, the demoness looked surprised, and then offended. With a growl, she returned the slap right back. Then Anubismon did the same again, and Lilithmon again, and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. Next, the two girls grabbed hold of each other's hair and pulled down hard. Falling to the ground, the two tussled as they smacked and pulled on one another, trying to overpower the other. So far it appeared to be a stalemate of sorts. Neither of them was overpowering the other and they didn't care. They were just dueling like a pair of wildcats. Inside Anubismon, Sho hung there confused as heck.

"Um…Labramon?"

"Not now, Sho-chan!" Labramon snapped. "I'm trying to teach this hussy a lesson!"

Sho kept his mouth shut as the catfight commenced. Luckily, the fight finished as soon as Labramon's comment did.

"Ugh! You stupid little bitch! I'll teach you!" Lilithmon screamed, brandishing her blade-like nail.

Regaining partial control of the body, Sho had them move upward to avoid the blow. Lilithmon did the same, merely moving upward to continue with her attack. Slicing at the canine, she was like an animal as she tried to defeat her hated rival.

"For a lady, you are really short-tempered." Anubismon commented.

That only infuriated Lilithmon further. "Phantom Pain!" Lilithmon let out a sigh and from her mouth came a wave of darkness. The darkness coated Anubismon from the tips of her toes.

"Ha! Beat that!" Lilithmon mocked.

Anubismon could feel her body rotting, tearing apart even. However, she wouldn't let it end here. "Pyramid Power!" She called.

From her body came a golden light. The light spread from her and countered Lilithmon's darkness. The darkness was then cast away into nothing and as it spread around Lilithmon, it turned into a pyramid.

"What? I-I-I can't move." Lilithmon's cries turned into a whimper.

"Lilithmon! Your judgment is nigh!" Anubismon declared. "Amemit!"

Just then, the skies darkened as a ripple formed between Anubismon and Lilithmon. The ripple quickly formed into another shape, a great jackal, almost like a shadowy, more bestial version of Anubismon appeared before them. Lilithmon gaped on in fear at the monstrosity.

"Now your judgment shall commence!"

"No! Please don't!" Lilithmon begged. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the beast opened its maw and leapt forward, covering the pyramid that entrapped Lilithmon. The demon lady shrieked as a terrible pain coursed through her body. She was being judged, and the evil within her soul was tearing away. This was the end for her, and she knew it; a rather anti-climatic way to go if one opinion was given. The beast and the pyramid then parted away in a golden flash; a roar signifying its purpose was done. Anubismon looked on, expecting to see Lilithmon's data floating away. However, that wasn't the case. In Lilithmon's place, stood another digimon; she was an angelic digimon, covered from head to toe in an emerald armored dress, a golden cross was encrusted upon her helmet. The only human features she held were the mouth and the red and blond hair spilling behind her. In her hand she held a javelin the same color as her armor, but there would be no cause for alarm. There was no malice from this digimon.

"Thank you." Her voice was sweet, like honey. "I am Ophanimon."

"Ophanimon?" Lilithmon repeated.

"For years, Grandracmon's evil trapped me in the form of Lilithmon, but thanks to you, my soul is now free." Ophanimon's body began to ripple, the sign of deletion.

"Please, Digidestined! You must not allow anyone to fall under his corruptive power again!" Ophanimon's plea came. With that said, her body deleted into bits of data, which floated into the wind. A good soul had been freed.

Anubismon shined the same red as her evolution and split into twin lights that sped to the ground. The lights then became Sho and Labramon.

"We did it, Sho-chan!" Labramon was quick to pounce upon her partner and drench him in a series of slobbering licks.

"Come on! Cut that out!" Sho laughed as he tried to get his partner off of him.

The laughter of the pair mixed in together. Their bond had been restored. It may not have held the same glue that had strengthened it before, but it had another brand; the brand of the love between friends.

"Hey, Sho-chan?" Labramon asked.

"Yeah, Labramon?"

A loud growl rang from within Labramon. "I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat? Being reborn gives you an appetite."

Although he didn't say it, Sho was glad to have the old Labramon back.

XXX

Jun landed perfectly as the portal closed, whereas Penguinmon tumbled. Shaking her head, Jun gazed about her surroundings. An almost tropical air hit her face and right in front of her stood a tall mountain. So tall that if you were to go to the top, you could view the entire landscape.

The only thing missing was a sign. It would say "Welcome to File Island".

To be continued...

A/N: This makes me wonder about how Digimon are reborn. You see, I know a digimon is reconfigured and reborn when they die, but how long does that go on? I mean, if digimon are constantly reborn, does that mean they were all the same digimon years ago? Then Toei made it possible for digimon to have children in season 4 and man this is confusing. Personally I feel that digimon are only reborn a set number of times or at least are reincarnated or something. Next up involves Jun and Penguinmon.


	57. Chapter 57

Jun and Penguinmon had many guesses as to where they currently were. They had traversed so much of the Digital World (one continent and a half, at least) so it was difficult to tell...for most people, that is. Jun was always a perceptive girl. She could tell from the air that this was someplace she had been before. The way it smelt...or maybe it was just a gut feeling.

They were back on File Island.

If it wasn't her perception, or her gut, then it was the huge mountain in front of her. Spiral Mountain, the focal point of File Island.

"Back here again, eh?" Jun commented. The uncreative path of the fates didn't surprise her in the least. She had to admit, it made sense from a story standpoint. Something about the island seemed important, as if in a future time it would be the starting point of something great.

"Do you know where we are, Jun?" Penguinmon asked.

Jun looked at her digimon. "It isn't obvious to you? Last time we were here, we were knee deep in garbage."

It took Penguinmon a few moments to realize where she was referring to. "That place? The one where you were almost married?"

Jun frowned in an instant. "I thought we agreed to never speak of the moment again." That was a memory that Jun hoped to wash out from her mind forever. Mental scars took a long time to heal, however.

"That mountain feels scary." Penguinmon shivered. The bird of course referred to the mountain in front of them.

A black aura coated the mountain. It was so thick even Jun could feel the emanations. That was what worried her. So far, only their digimon could sense such evil forces. The fact she could feel it made her worried all the more. Whatever it was, Jun knew it wouldn't be good for her...the Digital World...or most importantly, her friends.

"How's about we take care of this?" Jun held up her digivice with an overconfident look.

Penguinmon cowered. "I'd rather not."

Jun growled. "Well tough!"

The light of the digivice glowed and Penguinmon felt his strength growing. He hated that.

"Penguinmon evolve!"

Data upon data added on. His form stripped away to reveal the bare grid of his body. The shape transformed quickly, becoming far more avian. Blue feathers turned to black flames and spread far and wide.

"Saberdramon!"

The imposing form of Saberdramon replaced the lowly form of Penguinmon, but that wasn't the end. The sign of Sincerity shone on the screen of Jun's digivice.

Saberdramon's form began to melt and grow. Standing upright, he could feel new data rearranging and shifting his body around. Two arms grew out from his body and his wings found their new place upon his back. The black flames died and green plumage found their new home.

"Parrotmon!" Came his squawk.

Not having much choice, Parrotmon lowered himself to allow Jun to climb aboard.

"All right! Let's move out!" Jun pointed ahead towards the mountain.

"Right." Parrotmon sighed and flapped his wings, getting a gust. Soon, he was airborne and the two of them sped off towards the mountain. One mind was filled with triumph, while the other was filled with worry. While Parrotmon's feelings were not uncommon, Jun's feelings were new. There was a lot riding on this mission, and it was all on her. People were relying upon her.

XXX

This was it. Years of work had finally come to fruition. His mind's precious product now lay finished. Within the mountain they turned and twisted, working their magic all the more powerfully. The aura that coated the mountain was proof of their power and influence. It was a good day to be a genius, to see your life's work finally bear fruit. A tear fell from his yellow eye.

"Finally, it has happened. My black gears." Cherubimon spoke in awe. "Truly, I am a genius, only I could have come up with a plan so brilliant." The demon rabbit gloated. The aura upon the mountain intensified with his words. "Soon, they shall spread their aura across the land, bringing the master's darkness to all corners of the Digital World!"

Yes, it would happen. The darkness the gears produced would finally come to pass. They would spread and infect all, spreading Grandracmon's darkness into their hearts.

"That ain't going to happen."

Cherubimon was brought out of his thoughts of grandeur as he heard a voice. Turning to his left, he saw an approaching shape; a Parrotmon with a human in tow.

Cherubimon grinned. "Well, a Digidestined. What an honor." He mocked.

Jun kicked Parrotmon as one would do for a steed to stop. "So, you must be one of the Fallen Angels, eh?" Jun observed. Of course, she had seen Cherubimon before, but this speech made it more dramatic and appropriate.

"Indeed I am...I am Cherubimon." Cherubimon introduced himself.

Name: Cherubimon

Attribute: Virus

Type: (Fallen) Angel

Attacks: Heaven's Judgement, Lightning Spear, Thousand Spears

That was what the analyzer read.

"Wow, sounds tough." Jun commented. A smirk crossed her face. "Sounds fun."

Parrotmon gulped. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

A red beam of energy charged in Cherubimon's hand, forming into a spear. Prepping his arm back, he lobbed it forward as he called out his attack. "Lightning Spear!"

XXX

KnightGenkimon felt the ping against his armor. The laser beam left a present burn mark upon the polished metal. Dangerous and hot; not a good combination. Celestialdramon twirled her staff around as Deathmon continued to fire her beams of death. Silent and deadly, the demoness continued her assault without any sign of tiring.

"Doesn't she give up?" KnightGenkimon wondered aloud.

Her staff brimming with the energy that Deathmon emitted, Celestialdramon dissipated it with a simple wave. "I severely doubt it." The dragoness looked ready for battle, despite the hopeless situation.

"Your skills are commendable." Deathmon complimented. "Yet I calculate the gap between my skill and yours is far outweighed." She spoke in her emotionless drawl.

Goodbye would seem imminent at this rate. Inside their digimon, Kazuya and Sakura were coming to that conclusion.

"Dang, it's hopeless," Kazuya's voice echoed through the data void inside his digimon. The colored data lining briefly flickered as damage indicated.

Sakura let out a tiny yell as Celestialdramon was attacked similarly. "We can't just let her win!" Sakura rose up with determination. Oddly enough, she was being the optimistic one, when that was Kazuya's forte.

The two mega's continued to dodge, hopping from one place to the next as the beams of death fired in continuation. Deathmon never stopped to rest, nor showed any emotion. The light reflected in her single eye, as did images of her prey. No matter how many she shot, Deathmon noticed that her fellow mega level digimon hardly showed any sign of resting.

"Guess being mega has more perks." KnightGenkimon realized as he too noticed his falling stamina.

Deathmon tried to rationalize, but soon came to the conclusion her calculations may be incorrect. Something inside her stirred.

"Why are they moving so fast?"

A vein twitched upon her forehead, or whatever it could be called, seeing as she was simply an eyeball with flesh surrounding it.

"This wasn't what I calculated."

Their images danced around her eye socket...mocking her...teasing her. She couldn't stand it, watching them live while here she was trying to be an efficient murderer. It was just so...so...so infuriating!

"Would you two just STAND STILL!"

Deathmon stopped her next attack right in her tracks. KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon stopped as well, but they did so out of surprise. Deathmon had done something that was completely out of character; shown emotion. It would seem that Beelzemon's data had brought more than just extra strength. Deathmon shook with a slimy feeling slithering inside her. It was the creep of new emotions.

XXX

"Lightning Spear!" Cherubimon threw another crimson colored lightning bolt. Parrotmon swerved in his flight, trying to avoid it. One by one the lightning spears came. Parrotmon continuously flapped his wings.

"I don't know how long I can hold out, Jun!" Parrotmon whined.

Jun growled, punching her digimon lightly. "Don't wuss out on me! We can outrun him!"

Parrotmon looked up at his partner. "Don't you mean outfly?"

"Whatever!" Jun snapped.

Parrotmon wasn't upset at his partner's irateness. He was both used to it and sympathized. Their current situation wasn't the best moment to hold hands and skip in the flowers; metaphorically speaking of course. Cherubimon wasn't the least bit bored. In fact, this was the most fun he had all day. Despite being stuck in the lab most of the time, his skills in combat hadn't been deterred. One by one, the spears flew and he watched them squirm.

"Yes...run! Run little worms!" A dark grin formed upon his face. It was a grin that he had worn many times. It showed itself whenever one of his twisted experiments generated success or torture.

Parrotmon on the other hand had flight on his side. As driven as Cherubimon's bloodlust was, Parrotmon's speed held a greater advantage.

"Yeah, just keep it up." Jun thought. "We can outrace him." Honestly she had no idea if they could keep this game of chase up. But it was all they could do at the moment. Jun didn't have to tell there was a huge gap in their strength. Going by level alone was enough for her.

Cherubimon on the other hand wasn't so patient in regards to their flight maneuvers. It was time to end this. Waving his arms, several lightning spears appeared. Opening his mouth, Cherubimon announced his appropriately titled attack. "Thousand Spears!" Upon their master's command, the spears launched forward like a torrential storm. All at once they came, but their target wasn't exactly Parrotmon. Jun looked upward to see the oncoming red knives heading towards them. As she let out a yell, Parrotmon looked up to see the oncoming attack.

"Jun! Hang on!"

"Hang on?"

Jun's question didn't have time to be answered. Without so much as a warning, Parrotmon whirled around, just as the attack hit him in full force. Behind and hanging on for dear life, Jun could sense the pain her digimon felt. It was only a fraction of what he was experiencing, but Jun still felt it all the same. Smoke billowed from the burn marks upon Parrotmon's body.

"Parrotmon!" Jun cried.

Parrotmon grunted as he mustered what little strength he could. Twirling around, his front now faced the ground and he crashed headfirst.

"Parrotmon!" Jun beat down on her digimon's back. "Come on, wake up!"

A grunt answered her. "I'm coming, Jun. No problems here." Parrotmon attempted to play up humor, yet failing at the same time. Jun managed a smile, not that it was the time and place for one. Sliding off her digimon, Jun continued to prod him, hoping to get him moving.

"Thousand Spears!"

"Jun!" That got Parrotmon going.

Parrotmon snatched up Jun in his talon. His other talon covered his burnt chest, feeling a flash of pain against it. However, he kept running, keeping Jun safe all the while. The giant bird halted momentarily as the tree next to him was disintegrated. Another followed in its wake as a flash of red ended it. Several lightning spears followed, as did more trees burning to a crisp.

Parrotmon squawked in pain and knelt down right then and there. The pain was too much for him.

"Parrotmon are you alright?" Jun asked. Of course that was a silly question, seeing his current condition; but still she had to ask. If she didn't care about the well-being of her digimon, then what kind of partner was she?

"I'm fine, Jun." Parrotmon lied. His lie was exposed the moment he collapsed.

"Parrotmon!"

"R-r-really...I'm...fine." Parrotmon fibbed again.

"Don't lie to me! You were in no condition to run." Jun scolded, punching her digimon in his side.

A deep chuckle interrupted the human. Cherubimon slowly flew downward until he was within speaking range with the pair.

"I admit, this has been as enjoyable as one of my little experiments. I really should get out more." The demon rabbit joked.

Jun shot him a steely glance. "Shut the hell up!" She shot back.

Cherubimon cocked his head slightly at the comment, but wasn't shaken by it. "It's useless to resist. My black gears are moving as we speak. Once they complete their rotation, their darkness will spread throughout the Digital World, blanketing it in darkness!"

Jun had no idea what he was talking about, but she knew it would spell trouble if whatever it was came to pass. With her fist clenched, Jun mentally recited her resolve. She knew what she had to do, and by God, she would certainly do it. The Digimon couldn't fall into darkness and she would be the one to make sure they didn't. Many were counting on her, and she had promised she would keep them safe. It was her time to show she was reliable.

Suddenly, a bright light shone from Jun's digivice; a gray light. Similarly, a familiar symbol appeared upon her chest, shining underneath her shirt; the symbol of Reliability.

Cherubimon widened his eyes in horror, for he knew what was happening. The light continued to brighten, blinding the demon rabbit and to an extent, hurting him. Parrotmon felt a wave of energy restoring his stamina and healing his wounds. He began to rise, standing beside his partner. The two of them stood side-by-side as they felt their heartbeats. They beat in rapid succession, their sign of the bond. But the power of the bond melded the two hearts together and a gray light coated the human and digimon.

XXX

Deathmon didn't know what was happening to her. Her head hurt...her brain pounded against her skull...her lightheadedness spread to her entire body, paralyzing it with confusion, and confused she was. Normally she was cold...emotionless...driven...but now, she felt the surge of emotions disrupting her normal mindset. It didn't take her long to realize what was the cause of this new transformation.

"Beelzemon..." She muttered. "Get out of my head!"

"What is she talking about?" Asked KnightGenkimon.

Celestialdramon observed the situation closely. Something was wrong with Deathmon. She couldn't put a claw on it, but she was quick to come up with a theory.

"Absorbing Beelzemon." She realized. That must have been it. "Of course!"

Celestialdramon knew what had to be done. "KnightGenkimon. We have to strike now!"

KnightGenkimon brandished his energy sword. He didn't need to question that course of action. While Deathmon was still confused, she hadn't counted on KnightGenkimon bearing his sword upon her. Vertically he struck her, right in the eye. A squeal echoed forth from the monster as her vision was blinded by blood. She wanted to strike back, but found her strength diminishing and then rising at the same time.

"Heh, you like that, you bitch?" Deathmon heard a voice in her head. Thanks to the tone and the vocals, she knew who it belonged to.

"B-B-Beelzemon?"

"Heh, yeah dat's right."

"B-b-but...why?" Despite her pain, she managed to get out a question.

"Do I even need to say it, toots? I really don't care about good or evil anymore...think of this as revenge."

"But the master!"

"Screw the master! Screw him right in his furry ass!"

The mental argument was interrupted by another flash of pain. Celestialdramon jabbed her staff right into Deathmon's eye and summoned a stream of fire. Deathmon's insides burned, tearing into her vital organs and searing her skin. In a flash of data, she exploded, her mind still muddled and confused. As the data floated into the breeze, it dawned upon the two digimon and their partners, that victory had been earned. Not just for them, but for Beelzemon as well. Who said that revenge wasn't worth it?

XXX

Cherubimon unshielded his eyes as the light died down. As soon as it vanished, another gleam followed as the light reflected off the new body. Where once Parrotmon and Jun lay, now stood one imposing figure. It was a bird, just as the digimon before, but covered head to toe in golden armor. Everything was golden save for the helmet and talons, which were a polished silver. Everything about this digimon screamed robotic, including the wings.

Digimon: Crossmon

Level: Mega

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Cyborg

Attacks: Kaiser Phoenix, Mystic Break

"What is this?" Cherubimon asked in disbelief.

"What do you think it is, dumbass?" A voice answered back. It was coming from Crossmon. "I mean, how dense do you have to be?"

Dense? Him? "How dare you!" Cherubimon bellowed. Any restraint he held earlier would be gone now.

"Lightning Spear!" The red beam of energy flew forward, whereas its target stood perfectly still. The energy struck the metallic body. Another bright flash exploded into a brilliant light. As it died, Cherubimon grinned in pleasure. The fool had taken it head on and if it didn't kill them, then it would certainly cause some damage. That wasn't so, however. Crossmon stood there, perfectly fine and dandy.

"But how?" Cherubimon exclaimed.

Inside Crossmon, a blue grid surrounded Jun's body, which was butt naked, though the light covered up any private areas. Never had she felt so free...so warm.

"This is amazing." Jun commented with awe.

"Uh...Jun?" Penguinmon's voice spoke through the void.

"Yeah?"

"He's charging up another one of those lightning thingies. Should we do something?"

Jun rolled her eyes. "What do you think, genius? Come on, use your head."

Penguinmon got the message and a mental command from the two of them made Crossmon move. Flapping his metallic wings, the metal bird flew upward, just as Cherubimon launched his attack. The metal hide bounced the attack right off. Crossmon had an attack of his own.

"Kaiser Phoenix!" There was no signal for this attack, Crossmon merely rammed into his opponent with his full body. The full force knocked Cherubimon back through the air at point blank range. Hard as the attack was, it wasn't enough to deal a permanent blow.

Growling in frustration and humiliation, Cherubimon felt it was time to end this.

Raising his arms high in the air, he called out to the heavens. "Storm of Judgement!" Upon the last word's utterance, the sky immediately darkened and a clap of thunder signaled the coming storm. Cumulonimbus clouds appeared from nowhere bringing lightning with it. It flashed and crackled in all directions; in the distance and growing closer. Crossmon wasn't certain on what to do as both his hosts were ascertaining the situation to plan their next move. The lightning came down with much ferocity. So sudden was it that it made an even great ascertainment of actions for the cyborg bird. Crossmon managed to dodge one and then another as the cold-blooded fire came down with thunder being its only herald. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck against Crossmon's back. Smoke billowed upward as the metal was scorched. His wings faltered as the pain grew intense. More lightning rained down as the thunder clapped and rang. They couldn't fail here. The memories of everyone counting on them made them move forward. Slowly, his wings flapped, despite the pain he felt.

"Come on! You can do it!" Jun's voice rang in his head.

Faster and faster he flew, right towards Cherubimon.

"We can do this!" Penguinmon's voice chimed in.

The android dashed forward while Cherubimon summoned more of the lightning barrage. Right above his head, another stream of lightning came down. Luckily, Crossmon was right in front of Cherubimon.

"Mystic Break!"

Keeping up with the theme of emanating light, Crossmon's body shone brightly with a white light. The light enveloped Cherubimon, engulfing him in pain. It was excruciatingly incredible. His screams were drowned out by the thunder, but the lightning never came. The light died, revealing Cherubimon, but not the same as he was. Where there was once purple and green, there was pink and white skin. Two golden rungs circled his ears which were no longer tattered. His eyes were two beady orbs, hardly the monstrous yellow they were before. A smile greeted the fused digimon...a warm, comforting one.

"Thank you for freeing me." Cherubimon spoke. His voice tender and not even a growl was laced within. "Thanks to you, the black gears I have created will remain motionless and inactive."

Crossmon didn't know how else to respond but with, "Uh...no problem." It was odd seeing a formerly evil digimon suddenly turn good.

"Be warned, though. Grandracmon is nearing his conquest. You must not allow you or your friends to fail." Cherubimon beckoned. "Please...as...my last...request." With that said and done, the angelic digimon exploded into packets of data. True as he said, the black gears would remain motionless. Without their master to call them, they were lifeless hunks of metal. It would be many years before someone else would discover them.

XXX

The void was long and dark. Not a single soul could be seen. He had called out, called out to anyone who could possibly hear him...but his call went unheeded.

Chiisi and DemiDevimon were alone.

To be continued...


	58. Chapter 58

"Whoo hoo!" KnightGenkimon cheered. "Now that's what I call a victory!" The knight rabbit was ecstatic. At last, they had triumphed over Deathmon.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Deathmon? Come on, she was just some walking eyeball. She probably should have looked like some kind of grim reaper." Kazuya's voice rang out.

Although Celestialdramon and Sakura were happy at their victory, they showed it in a more dignified manner. Celestialdramon couldn't help but blush at seeing the celebrating rabbit.

"He certainly is happy." She murmured.

"Bet you're glad to see that." Sakura chuckled.

This spurred on another blush from the dragon. She was indeed glad to see the rabbit happy. Something about his dancing figure just enticed her. Her feelings towards the rabbit were obvious. Even though she had hid them well, she couldn't deny she loved him.

Sakura's feelings toward Kazuya were not quite so different. Although the matter of love was more complex for the human mind; especially a teenage one. Did she feel the same way about Kazuya as the same way her digimon cared for his? One thing she did notice was that they were still here. They had defeated Deathmon, the source of the darkness, yet they were still as they were. That meant one thing: the darkness was still active. Closing her eyes, she could sense the darkness still. Jun and Penguinmon? No...their portal was closed. Deathmon was dead, of course. That left only one.

"Chiisi."

XXX

The darkness was vast. It spread all around them. A black void that blanketed the entire area that could be called existence. Then again, could this be called existence? The darkness was practically nothing as it was. How they were even walking went beyond the pair. Well, Chiisi walked, DemiDevimon simply stood atop Chiisi's shoulder; his favorite perch.

"So, where are we, kid?" The bat asked his partner.

Chiisi looked around him, searching for any sign of life or solidity to this realm. "Do I really have to say it?" He answered.

DemiDevimon chuckled. "Bout time you got some bite to your tongue. I'm impressed."

Chiisi gave a small grin. He did admit to himself that he was emotionless at times. The boy preferred to keep his feelings on the inside than wear them on the outside. It was how he had learned how to go about his days, especially with his status as the "weird kid"; the "weird kid", his least favorite moniker at school. Not that he could help it. It was how he acted that was a factor. Even as a kid, he never got along with the other children. Something about them seemed off to him. The same could apply to him. For years he had contemplated that there was something different about him that separated him from his peers. It wouldn't be until his visit to this world that he would discover what that separation truly was.

"Well, I don't have a clue where we are." DemiDevimon admitted. "Although I gotta say, I love the décor."

Chiisi gazed about the realm. "Yeah, it isn't so bad. I can't believe I just said that." Chiisi somewhat grinned at his own joke. Funny, him joking. That was another thing this world had done for him, given him a sense of humor. After going through a traumatic experience, it was a huge surprise that he was able to have any sense of humor.

"But we need to find a way out." Chiisi reasoned.

DemiDevimon flapped off of Chiisi's shoulder. "Aww come on, kid! Let's linger a bit longer."

In the back of Chiisi's mind, he partially agreed with his digimon. He couldn't deny that this darkness comforted him just a bit. Okay, more like a lot. It swirled about him, filling his soul with peace and tranquility. In a way, that was wrong; very wrong. But still, he couldn't help it. He was a child of darkness, after all.

"What a weirdo"

Chiisi stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong, kid?" Asked DemiDevimon, who had also heard the voice.

Just then, an image flashed by. It was a wavy flag that flashed over the blackness for a moment. The image showed two boys, both elementary age. Chiisi recognized them. They were both kids from his school. In the back, he could make out a dark garbed figure; himself.

Chiisi remembered that day. It wasn't something he could easily forget, especially whenever he was mentioned. A sigh escaped him. "It's going to be one of those, isn't it?"

"He's such a freak."

A female voice spoke next followed by another image. The image consisted of a school hall where two young girls snickered amongst themselves. Just like before, he was the same person in the background. It wasn't the children, but rather himself. He was in the back with a blank expression. He tried to pretend that it didn't affect him. But deep down, their words did. Putting up his emotionless front was the only way he could survive in this world. He shuddered at the thought of Junior High. If he was teased now, then he would be eaten alive at a higher grade.

"I don't want this baby!"

Another female voice followed, one that Chiisi half recognized. For a third time, an image flashed by. It was of an adult women, someone he had met before, but only in the world of memories. Or rather, a world of darkness-induced memories.

"Mother?" Chiisi questioned.

The woman that flashed by was indeed his mother. The image lasted for only a moment before a final message played out.

"This child isn't natural don't you understand!?"

Unnatural? Him? That about summed it up. He was about as unnatural as they came. He owed that to his non-human genes.

"You're still holding the darkness back."

From the darkness came a voice. Like before, it was familiar in tone. The darkness whirled around, solidifying into a shape. Arms, legs, chest, eyeballs sewn within black armor.

"Duskmon!" Chiisi stood on the offensive.

"Don't worry, kid. I'll hold him off!" DemiDevimon flapped furiously, ready to fight.

Yet, Chiisi's digivice neither glowed, nor did he raise it.

"Uh kid? Bad guy?" DemiDevimon said in confusion.

Chiisi stared at the evil digimon without emotion in his eyes; his natural look. Something inside him told him that things were safe for the time being.

"What do you want?" Chiisi asked.

Duskmon kept his eyes upon the human and digimon pair. Indeed, things were safe for the time being. Not a single blade emerged from his arms.

"The darkness is strong within you, but yet you waste it." Duskmon claimed.

Chiisi found his arm slowly moving to his chest. Suddenly, a sharp pain burned in his chest. It only lasted for a moment. Subsiding, he moved his arm away. For the brief moment it burned, a symbol appeared; the symbol of darkness. The symbol of the digicore Chiisi had yet to activate.

"You could control it, you know. If only you gave in." Duskmon suggested.

"No thank you." Chiisi grew indignant at that remark.

"What's wrong? Afraid?" Duskmon spoke mockingly.

Chiisi admitted, he indeed was afraid. "Yes." He flat out said. "I'm not going to hide it, the darkness scares me."

"It shouldn't. You and I are strongly linked to it." Duskmon continued.

It made Chiisi remember. Something he had learned of in the past. "Right. Your name was Drian."

Duskmon's eyes grew wide and the ones upon his armor swirled around in anger clockwise. "That name, no long has any meaning to me." Duskmon seethed.

"Its your real name. You've only forgotten." Said Chiisi.

"I haven't forgotten...merely abandoned it." Duskmon countered.

Chiisi held no response towards the demon. He merely stood there, awaiting further words.

"Darkness was the true strength for me, and in the end I made my choice." Duskmon looked on ahead towards the dark horizon. His eyes fixated in a blank stance. "Courage, friendship, and all the rest, I was the odd one out admittedly." Duskmon averted his gaze from the void and to the boy. "Just as you were."

"What?" Chiisi said.

Duskmon made a sound like a chuckle in his throat. "Your memories speak to me within this darkness. I see them all. We are a lot alike you and I. Do not deny it."

"Don't listen to him kid." DemiDevimon flapped furiously. "I may appreciate darkness and all, but you ain't nothing like this guy."

Chiisi remained silent, considering his response carefully. For a few seconds, nothing came to him. He couldn't find anything to say. Well, save for one sentence.

"Maybe you're right." Chiisi's words brought on a reaction from both digimon. DemiDevimon faltered in his flight while Duskmon's eyes widened in surprise, then lowered in satisfaction.

"But I never betrayed my family!" Chiisi spat.

At once, Duskmon's eyes widened once again. This time, in anger. "That notion is foolish!"

Before Chiisi knew it, a wave of darkness rushed towards him. Like the waters of the dark sea, it drowned him, filling his lungs and every orifice. Chiisi's mind began to falter, growing more drowsy with each passing moment.

Then all went dark.

XXX

The sky was cast in a dark shade of gray. The clouds passed by in a somewhat lighter shade, but were dreary all the same. Dreary could be said for everything. The land was dried and cracked, rocks were split open, the trees had long died, but most of all, the oceans had risen. Several buildings, a mixture of earth and digital were strewn about in a chaotic mess.

"All hail our prince!" The voices chimed. The deep ones below bowed upon what remained of the land. And there Chiisi floated high above. His body resembling that of a teenager, His hair slightly longer and his skin shiny and wet. Through his eyes he could see and with his ears he could hear their chants. Slowly, he floated to the ground, touching it lightly. The deep ones bowed respectfully.

"My prince, we await your orders." One of them spoke in its deep gutteral utterance.

"What?" Chiisi asked in confusion.

"There are several packets of resistance, the humans and the digimon that try to fight us." One of the deep ones answered.

"Resistance?" Chiisi repeated once again.

One of the deep ones blinked, "looking" at Chiisi with its nonexistent face. "My prince? Are you alright?" It asked in its raspy voice.

Chiisi looked to it but said nothing. He wasn't sure how he would answer that.

"My prince!" The raspy hiss of another deep one followed. Chiisi turned to his left to see a group of the creatures dragging something by force. The force of the pull attributed to life; to resistance.

"Let me go!" A somewhat weary voice called out.

Chiisi stood there silent as his "servants" dragged the resisting figure right to him. He couldn't believe who it was the moment they set it down.

"Chiisi?" Tear stained, tired eyes looked up at him through lenses

"Sakura?" Chiisi looked down to see his cousin being forced to kneel before his presence.

"Here, my lord." Chiisi turned to his right and his eyes went wide.

In the slimy hands of the deep one, was a knife. It's shape was sharp with a slight curve to it. "My prince, her sacrifice will end the resistance." Chiisi let out a tiny gasp while Sakura flinched a little.

"Chiisi no!" She immediately cried.

Chiisi observed the knife for a moment. It looked right; almost as if he were meant to carry it.

"Chiisi please!" Sakura whimpered.

Chiisi looked deep into her eyes. His own corrupted gaze staring into Sakura's purified look. "Goodbye" was the word he almost wanted to whisper, but part of him held back that thought. This was his cousin; his family.

Kill her.

A voice came. From nowhere. Chiisi found the urge overpowering.

She must be sacrificed.

Slowly he reached for the knife.

End her existence!

He raised the knife high, and the Deep Ones held her tighter than ever.

Kid!

Another voice this time, a familiar one, broke through the air. Chiisi was halted by its sound. "DemiDevimon?" The name just sprang to mind.

Look, this prince thing ain't you! You moved past that crud. You're Chiisi! That's who you are!

Chiisi halted for a moment as the words took hold of his body. Slowly, everything began to wave as the illusion vanished. Before Chiisi knew it, he was standing back in the dark void. The first thing he saw was DemiDevimon's grinning face, and a perplexed look upon Duskmon's.

"What!?" He exclaimed. "How did you break the illusion."

Chiisi adjusted himself to his surroundings, making sure he was back where he was supposed to be. Looking down at his body, he could see that he was back in his old body. Same black clothes, same Japanese flesh, and the same black digivice.

"Oh please. Dagomon already did the darkness thing with me already and guess what? I had help from my friends." Looking up to DemiDevimon, Chiisi corrected himself. "Or rather this time, a friend."

Duskmon was at a loss for words. This wasn't going how he expected it to go. "You foolish boy. You still refuse the true power of darkness!"

"I don't refuse it." Chiisi shook his head. "Darkness is a part of me, that's true...but there's darkness inside everyone, even good people like my cousin and friends."

DemiDevimon flapped over to his friend. "Hey! Don't forget me!" DemiDevimon chatted.

Chiisi flashed him a smile and DemiDevimon did the same. While the two partners displayed their camaraderie and bond, Duskmon fumed with fury. Everything in the realm began to shake as did Duskmon. The darkness of the void began to distort and surround the dark digimon. The darkness formed into a whirlwind that grew larger and larger with each passing second. The darkness then parted away revealing what lay underneath. A giant monstrosity revealed itself. The large imposing figure largely looked like Duskmon, yet only one eye was present within the center. Additionally the armor, as well as the hair was longer and messier, the armor was more jagged and broad. The dragon skull arms were instead replaced with the heads of Velgmon. Additionally, Velgmon's wings spread wide from his back.

Chiisi stared up at the tall giant. Within his eyes, he held no fear. He merely held up his digivice. Chiisi could feel the darkness swirling around him as well. However, as he and DemiDevimon felt the same darkness, they could tell it wasn't evil. They both felt a power swelling inside them, as they felt their heartbeats intwine.

"DemiDevimon! Warp jogress evolve!"

The darkness spread around their bodies. The pair accepted it as they felt their forms merging into one.

"VenomMyotismon!"

Digimon: VenomMyotismon

Level: Mega

Attribute: Virus

Type: Demon Beast

Attacks: Venom Infusion, Savage Tyrant

At last, the darkness instantly cleared, and the new form of digimon revealed itself. The new creature was as large as the Duskmon-Velgmon hybrid. Large, tattered, black wings spread out, connected to a red armored upper body. Below was a black furred body with four red, eye like markings lay upon the crotch area. Ignoring suggestive themes, the rest of the body conveyed strength and power. The arms were elongated and bony. Imprinted at the front were the twin signs of darkness; winged bats. The form was bestial, while some humanoid traits remained. Myotismon's face remained plastered upon his head, yet its humanity was barely visible beneath a maniacal grin. Two arched horns spread up from the head which had messy blond hair. The iconic mask was one of the only things that remained. However, yellow eyes stared outside of the fixated feature.

Beneath his mask, Duskmon grinned. "So, you have decided to embrace the darkness. The form befits you."

Inside, DemiDevimon grinned, which showed upon VenomMyotismon's face. Inside, Chiisi held a silent expression. Within the black void, the boy floated.

"That's true, I have accepted darkness." VenomMyotismon's voice echoed with the combination of Chiisi and DemiDevimon's voices. "However, mine comes from a different source." Once more came the echo of words.

Duskmon bristled. "Enough of that nonsense!" Twin blades of ebony metal extended from his arms, much different from the blood red of his previous form. The digimon charged forward, weapons raised.

VenomMyotismon guarded with his arms as the blades came down. Immediately, the shell-like hide guarded against it, pinging with a metallic chink. Duskmon continued to hack and slash at his opponent, who merely guarded against the onslaught.

"Venom Infusion!" VenomMyotismon cried.

The eyes hidden underneath his mass, and the eyes situated on his...groin, glowed with a rainbow hued light. In a flash vibrant of colors, Duskmon skidded back on his heels. From his position, the force knocked him flat on his back. Several thoughts raced through Duskmon's head, mostly confusion; Chiisi had rejected the dark, so how was he able to fight back?

Within the void of his digimon, Chiisi felt surprised himself at the raw power he had just displayed.

"You alright kid?" DemiDevimon's voice called through the void that was his body.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Through VenomMyotismon's eyes, Chiisi could see the monster getting up, ready to attack again.

Duskmon immediately raised both his arms and the many eyes located upon his body focused themselves on VenomMyotismon.

"Vanish into the darkness!" Duskmon screamed, as the beams of energy hit their target full force, focusing into one beam of energy.

VenomMyotismon took the blast full force. His armored hide matched the beam's color, blood red. The demon beast vampire could feel the burn underneath his armored hide. Inside, Chiisi felt the same pain as all around him the void shifted and shook.

"It's so strong!" Chiisi grunted

DemiDevimon's grunts echoed throughout the shared body. He could feel the force and the power behind it so much that he was starting to doubt if he could take it any further. Outside, VenomMyotismon was starting to falter. This pleased Duskmon greatly.

"You see? Those who have truly rejected the power of darkness are destined to fade back into it." Duskmon belittled.

Chiisi listened to those words well. From his pained look, he managed a look of pure defiance. VenomMyotismon symbiotically gained the same look.

"Tyrant Savage!" With a cry and a roar, VenomMyotismon brandished his claws. Crossing his arms, he charged forward, passing through the beams. Duskmon continued to unleash his attack, never relenting. He wouldn't stop, even as he saw VenomMyotismon heading towards him. VenomMyotismon slowly removed the x formation of his arms. Suddenly, a bright light flashed as VenomMyotismon appeared opposite of Duskmon. Duskmon stood there motionless, the beams dying down. His eyes focused intensely in the open darkness.

"Im...poss...ible." He croaked.

VenomMyotismon turned back and in a flash, melted into the forms of Chiisi and DemiDevimon. Duskmon's entire body turned black, and like the two before him, his body melted down as well. The massive form shifted into a humanoid body and when it was done, the darkness left. Before them, kneeled a white robed figure, his hair long and blond. In fact, he looked strongly like a human. The figure slowly rose and just as slowly turned around. Before Chiisi and DemiDevimon's eyes, stood a creature that gave off the appearance of a teenage human boy. Immediately, they knew whom it was from the piercing red eyes.

Drian smiled despite his defeat. "Well done. Perhaps you haven't totally rejected the darkness."

Chiisi stood there in silence.

"But it's too late...by now, Grandracmon has breached the Harmonious One's realm." Closing his eyes, Drian spread his arms out. "Soon, the Digital World will be bathed in his glorious darkness." Then, he was gone. He faded just like that, faded into the darkness. Just as he did, the darkness twisted all around them. With its master gone, it too started to fade. For Chiisi, it was simply another victory in the pocket. As the darkness faded, the way grew more clearer with each passing second. For one in a good while, Chiisi felt at peace with himself. DemiDevimon shared in his partner's happiness. The darkness had a strong grip upon Chiisi, and now, he felt like he had truly conquered it.

A/N: I've decided to save all of my negative opinions on this story till the end. On the final chapter/epilogue, I'll just make an authors note detailing my thoughts on the matter.


	59. Chapter 59

Sometimes, waiting could be a real drag on the impatience levels. Don Guil was more patient than most; it was one of his favorite virtues. His mother had taught him the value of patience and its importance. Although his mother may have been more driven and sometimes ruthless in her endeavors, she had a good head on her shoulders and in all respects was a good mother. Though she wasn't perfect, she had molded the young Don into what he was today.

"I don't think they're coming back Donny." Gatomon's voice chimed in behind him.

The feline stood behind the lizard uncertainly considering the strength of the chosen humans.

"Come on my dear Gato-chan," Don Guil beamed, "have some faith."

Gatomon smiled upon the new pet name her lover had bestowed upon her. He always had several in mind, each one displaying the love he felt for her.

"Donny I'm just worried. I'm not trying to say this plan wasn't a good idea, but I'm thinking of the future." Her eyes trailed down to her belly. "What about when?" Her words were halted the moment scaly claws wrapped around her furry body pulling her close.

Reptilian and feline eyes joined with one another into a similar golden hued sea. It stretched on eternally for the pair, a statement and testament to the bond they had formed and shared. "I'll keep you safe, both of you. No matter what." Don Guil's reassertion followed his embrace. Frankly it was enough for Gatomon.

Suddenly a sound reached their ears. It was as if the wind was whistling a call. A rippled accompanied it, showing itself in full sight. Instinctively, Don Guil held Gatomon close while the latter sunk deeper into his arms. The rippled swirled around in a circular motion. The breeze separated, dividing itself into ten segments. Shapes materialized into shapes shrinking or growing with accordance to the species that followed: ten humans and ten digimon.

"You made it back!" Don Guil happily proclaimed.

The digidestined and their respective chosen digimon stood there triumphantly. The stoicism portrayed their image in success of their mission. Each group had undertaken their mission, their silence was enough to tell the story in its entirety.

"Man I could use a smoke!" Gazimon sighed.

Kazuya groaned once his digimon's tobacco addiction swelled up.

"I'm hungry!" Labramon complained with her stomach joining in.

Sho blinked, never being able to fully get used to his digimon's monstrous appetite.

"I'm tired." Penguinmon whined.

Jun responded in the way one would expect. "Man up!" The girl smacked her digimon lightly in the back of his head.

DemiDevimon and Fairydramon held their composure unlike their brethren.

"Still enslaved by their vices." Fairydramon shook her head in disappointment.

With a snicker, DemiDevimon commented. "That's what makes them interesting, especially the rabbit right?" He directed that last comment towards Fairydramon.

The dragoness crossed her arms. "I don't know what you are talking about." She denied firmly.

DemiDevimon swooped in close right in front of Fairydramon's face. The dragoness briefly yelped in surprise at the sudden invasion of personal space. "Admit it, you like him the way he is."

Fairydramon turned her head away at the accusation. "I don't know what you are talking about!"

"Then how come you're blushing?"

Fairydramon gasped when she felt her own face burning. Even with her green scales the redness was evident. DemiDevimon's snickers reached her ears causing the red to spread to her entire face. Gritting her teeth with a growl, she ended the bat's snickers with a snort of nostril smoke. Fairydramon smirked as she watched DemiDevimon harshly cough whilst retreating to Chiisi's shoulder.

"Was it worth it?" Chiisi asked to his sputtering partner.

DemiDevimon finished coughing with only two left to spare. "Totally." He replied.

Don Guil wasn't sure hot to expect the returning heroes would interact once they had returned from their missions. Apparently this was it.

"So I take it everything went well?" Don Guil asked.

Jun spoke up first being as outspoken as she was. "Isn't the fact we're all still standing proof we didn't fail?" The girl asked crossing her arms.

Gatomon had a very firm comment towards the girl's lack of respect for her donny. Yet, Don Guil seemed unfazed. That was just like her lover, never failing to let intimidation overtake him.

"I guess it was a silly question to ask no?" Don Guil admitted partially revealing his mistake.

"Alright everyone settle down." Kazuya stepped forward in an attempt to keep the peace. As a leader he had a gained a second sense of sorts for feeling trouble; incoming storms as another way of putting it. "Yeah, we did it, wasn't easy though." Kazuya couldn't shake the memories of the battle he and Sakura had just experienced. From the looks of everybody's faces, they had their own close calls. Stronger for the experience didn't shake off the face they were still kids in a war.

"But we can't dwell on what happened, we gotta think about what's ahead." Kazuya spoke seriously.

It wasn't that much of a surprise whom he meant.

"You're thinking about Grandracmon?" Sakura asked.

Kazuya said nothing but his steely look said enough.

"Goodbye life." Jun apathetically responded.

"Come on!" Sho cried. "All of us went through hell and you have to get all pessimistic!" Sho's voice took on a stressed tone.

Briefly taken aback, Jun was surprised to hear the word "hell" come out of Sho's mouth."What? You getting nervous?" Jun asked somewhat suggestively.

Sho's face turned red at the comment for some reason. Maybe it was the implication or the tone of her voice. He didn't really understand girls to be honest; even after all the time he spent with the girls present. Whatever Jun implied whether it be truth or an assumption, Labramon was riled enough to bark back.

"Ease up! Sho-chan had a very rough time!" Labramon yipped. "So zip it!"

Surprise took the girl aback once more, but not because of Labramon's comment; part of it at least. "You're using the chan suffix again?" Even she had to smile. "Guess you two patched things up?"

The canine digimon immediately rubbed up against Sho's leg. "You could say that." She said with a flutter of her eyes. In the past he would be embarrassed by this display, this time Sho merely smiled back at his partner. Something indeed had changed between Sho and Labramon and only they fully understood it.

"Guys come on!" Kazuya raised a fist up. "We've handled whatever's come our way before. This isn't going to be anything different." Being the leader, it was his job to inspire and encourage the others.

Sakura would have defended her friend's belief. This time was different however. "You didn't feel the darkness like I did."

"Huh?"

"It was scary, worse than anything I've felt before." Sakura trembled.

Understanding Sakura's light affinity, it didn't deter Kazuya's opinion. "Yeah I know he's scary but he's just like any other bad guy we've fought before."

"No he isn't." It was Chiisi's turn to speak now. "I'm sure you felt something, but not like Sakura and I." The boy's eyes took on a lifeless shine. "It was pure evil, nothing more."

Confidence fell immediately within everyone. Kazuya knew how Chiisi and Sakura were more attuned with this world than the rest of them (with the exception of the digimon). The Fallen Angels had been the most difficult enemies they had ever faced. Grandracmon was their boss, a creature that had slain a digimon god centuries ago (Digital World time). Countless minions had been slain to speed up his revival. Perhaps it wouldn't be so easy.

"We just can't give up." Kazuya reaffirmed. "If we don't do anything then we won't have a world to go back to!"

That realization hit everyone immediately. They didn't know much about Grandracmon outside of the stories they had heard about him. Seeing him in person gave them an idea of how terrible he was. But it wasn't enough to gain a full opinion. Another way of putting it was that they had yet to fight him personally leaving their true range of his strength in question. They knew he was powerful but power had to be witnessed, not described in order to be felt.

"That goes for us too!" Gazimon chimed in, referring to his fellow digimon.

Just as their human partners, they too felt the sudden urgency of their impending doom; if they didn't do anything that is. The human world would more than likely suffer Grandracmon's wrath, but the Digital World would be first on the list, finishing the job he had started all those years ago. The Digital World already had enough troubles, and they would get progressively worse with the dark one's coming.

All of them had remained frozen in place while Gazimon and Kazuya talked, the faintest form of reaction began to stir in one of them. Fairydramon mentally came to her senses before anyone, but wasn't the first to react.

"I'll die before anything happens to Sho-chan!" Labramon barked declaratory.

Sho was about to correct her and say "die again", but felt that was in bad taste. A hand ran down towards his gut, still remembering the searing pain as Lilithmon ran her razor nails through. Dying had been his greatest fear during the adventure. Ironically he was the only one to experience death despite considering himself the more cautious of the group. Death wasn't something he had expected, not even remembering a white light that so often portrayed death in media. Perhaps he had been in a half way point?

"My thoughts exactly." Fairydramon agreed, adjusting her original intended sentence. "Only more in reference to Sakura." The dragoness added a slight alteration.

DemiDevimon chuckled. "Bout time we all geared up for war." His voice drifted into a slight whisper when his inner bloodlust reached the surface.

Penguinmon shifted uncomfortably at Jun's side. The glare of his partner burned down upon him, least he assumed so. Whenever he showed any cowardice Jun would easily remedy it; usually by force, and by force that meant physical pain. Yet, if there was one thing Penguinmon truly cared about, it was his partner. Despite her nasty attitude and surly disposition, Jun was his human.

"Count me in!" The little bird flapped his flippers forcing an enthusiastic farce. If Jun was his human, then he was her digimon. "I'll give em a right! And a left! And another right! And ano-"

"We get the point bird!" Jun snapped, causing the flipper pumping penguin to clamp his beak shut. Hesitantly he looked up to see what he expected would be a dirty glare from the teenage girl. "Try not to get too worked up." To Penguinmon's shock, he could see a smile accompanying Jun's words.

Surprises just filled today it seemed. And it appeared that the hope that normally was Kazuya's trait radiated from everyone.

"But how are we going to get to Grandracmon?"

Whoever asked the question destroyed the mood instantaneously. But they raised a good question.

"That's easy!" Kazuya declared. "We just find his hideout and storm it!" With a clenched fist he pumped it in the air.

Gazimon mimed his partner with the same jubilance that shone upon the human's face. Both rabbit and boy were perfect mirror images.

"That's the spirit Kazuya my boy!" Gazimon cheered.

Sparkles shone directly in the eyes of the two males. "Gazimon I knew I could count on you!"

"Anytime Kaz! Were just one big burger with awesome sauce!"

"Awesomesauce?" Jun's comment caused the record to scratch. "Okay I think you two are getting a little too overeager."

"Yeah the whole thing is rather creepy." Chiisi chimed in.

Kazuya and Gazimon deflated when their friends crossed their arms. The creepy part was ironic considering it was coming from Chiisi of all people. Although no one would ever call him creepy to his face.

"You guys are making me hungry." Labramon whined, her stomach grumbling on cue.

"Besides," Chiisi added, "we don't even know where he is right?"

The acknowledgment brought the realization to a head. Right back to square one. Egos and determination were slowly starting to sink back into the earth that was their bodies.

"Well you better come up with a solution quick." Gatomon's soft voice caught everyone by surprise. The feline had been more of a background character, kind of blending in while the rest of the cast spoke. Hearing her talk moved her out of the scenery. A slight wrinkle formed under her brow mixing with the slight irritation. A scaly claw comforted those negative feelings.

"Don't mind Gato here." Don Guil brought his love in close to him. "She's just worried about the future Don, that's all."

At the mention of the words "future" and "Don" suspicion began to rise. Gatomon running a paw down to her furry belly only confirmed it.

"Okay," Jun waved her hands in front of her. "Am I the only one who is confused as heck about Digimon reproduction?"

"You're having a baby?" Penguinmon curiously asked.

Gatomon blushed with a short nod. "Yes." She squeaked. "My big strong Donny planted his seed."

"Planted his seed?" Labramon repeated. Her childlike mind couldn't really grasp the full content of that meaning. "What does that mean Sho-chan?"

Sho wasn't sure how to answer that. Suddenly he felt like a father having to explain to their child the concept of baby making. Sho remembered the fateful night he learned that process. Unfortunately it was the night his youngest sibling was conceived and he was but a mere boy in the wrong place at the wrong time. The explanation afterwards left a nasty burn mark within his brain pan.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Sho answered.

Labramon blinked confusedly. "Huh? But I'm already grown up." The canine girl reconsidered that for a moment, "I think I am?"

Suddenly a sharp pain cut across her head. It lasted for a brief moment when DemiDevimon settled onto his new perch.

"I think he means mentally." Replied the demon bat. "Then again, you're plenty grown up whenever you pig out." DemiDevimon chuckled the moment Labramon snapped her jaws at him.

"Were you calling her stupid?" Chiisi whispered to his partner, wincing slightly at the thrust of his claws into the boy's shoulder.

DemiDevimon merely shrugged, but didn't say a word.

"Look as humorous this whole spiel is, I really think we should get back to the whole "evil abomination out to destroy the whole world." Jun reminded everyone of the looming threat.

"The longer we stay here, the more power he gains." Fairydramon added in. The dragoness turned her attention towards Don Guil and Gatomon. Admittedly, the two lovers caressing one another sparked a warm fire within her cold blooded body. "There are plenty of lives at stake." She said gazing towards Gatomon's belly. A furry nudge at her side turned her head to see a certain scruffy rabbit raising his brow at her.

"Thinking about the future eh? Gazimon's lustful flirt implied.

Slowly Fairydramon began to feel her own fire forming from a small ember. Yet part of her didn't mind the comment for some strange reason.

"Yeah I guess you gotta think about all the squirts running around, them growing up in a safe environment n everything." Gazimon imagined the image in a dreamy tone.

Unfortunately he made a very severe mistake. With each word he would pat a claw to Fairydramon's trim tummy. It only served to add fuel to the fire. Gazimon's dream ended the moment he noticed his love's eyes, and the smoke that puffed out out of her nostrils. The next thing he saw was the concrete meeting his face.

"I should have seen that coming." He stated rather calmly. By now he had grown used to Fairydramon's whole "playing hard to get" act. Still, he was blind to see that it wasn't an act. But he wasn't blind to see that Fairydramon didn't mind his actions so much anymore.

"Well if I had to make a guess," Don Guil broke away from his mate momentarily. The action provoked a jealous glare from the feline, "Light girl and dark boy there could probably do something about it."

Everyone turned to the young crime lord curious and perplexed as to how Chiisi and Sakura could solver their dilemma.

"Ya know? Those two have those mystical light dark powers." Don Guil waved his claw half guessing as to how the cousin's abilities could do anything in regards to locating. "I dunno I'm just drawing straws here." Don Guil sighed.

"So what do you think?" Chiisi asked Sakura.

Sakura considered the option. It certainly seemed plausible since light and darkness were an important part of this whole plot. "I guess so, but how are we supposed to do anything?" Sakura asked, still skeptical about their role in all of this.

"Why don't you guys just close your eyes and concentrate?" Kazuya suggested. "It always works in the movies right?"

Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend. "I'm no wizard but even I'm sure that wouldn't work."

"Wait I'm getting something." Chiisi interrupted. The boy had his eyes closed with pure concentration showing. "I can feel him."

This surprised Sakura along with everyone else present. "Really? Just like that?" Sakura asked, rather skeptical considering the low opinion of darkness.

Chiisi eyed his cousin with his own skepticism. "You can't?" Sakura shook her head. "Well you're light, so shouldn't you be able to sense darkness?"

The question poised a truth. Light and darkness were always in conflict with one another, so it wasn't hard to imagine that those oriented with one element could sense one another, and vice versa. Fairydramon nodded her head in agreement, dashing her partner's uncertainty. Seeing nothing else, Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated. Exactly what, she didn't know. All she could see was dark. It made sense considering her eyes were closed.

"_I feel kind of silly." _She thought to herself. _"Jun's probably giving some sort of comment." _She felt a smile form upon her face, _"Kazuya's going to give her some sort of complaint I bet." _It's funny how things like that had become part of her expected chain of events in the day, something she wouldn't change for the world.

Like a gush of wind, she felt something brush past her. Whatever it was, Sakura could feel something within her bones reaching down into what she assumed was her very soul. It took a lot of self control to not open her eyes, something she assumed Chiisi held a lot of. Something far off within the dark called to her. It was silent all the same yet it drew her in. The closer she got the stronger the pull became. For a brief moment panic set in; something was grabbing her, wrapping her in its freezing grasp. A sound echoed throughout the void. Fear deeply etched inside the girl, only disrupted the moment she looked up.

In a sharp instant, Sakura opened her eyes with heavy breaths. "That was freaky." she announced.

Chiisi put a reassuring hand upon his cousin's arm. "Trust me, you get used to it."

"What did you see Sakura?" Kazuya asked.

Sakura looked to her best friend, words teasing slightly on her lips. They wanted to escape and reveal, but Sakura fought them back for a brief moment. "I don't know." She admitted. "It felt dark, cold, uncomfortable," Sakura wrapped her arms around herself not able to forget what she had felt moments ago, "It had to be "him"."

The only "him" relevant could only be the dark one himself.

"Grandracmon."

"Well let's get on with it already!" Jun slammed her fist into her palm. "We've been standing around all day flapping our lips while the bad guy is tearing things up!"

It had indeed been a lengthy waste of time. Nothing but dialogue had transpired within the timespan wasting what could have been filled with butt kicking most epic. It was time for the Digidestined to deliver.

"No more time for talk." Kazuya gripped his red digivice.

Gazimon pumped his fist miming his partner's hold on his digivice. "All right! Time to kick butt and come back for a drink and smoke!" Gazimon's mind always remained on a one single track.

Don Guil smiled from his position. "Well get to it then." He supported.

Each digidestined gripped their digivices as their leader, and their digimon looked on determinedly as the same as their digimon leader. Though whether Gazimon counted as a leader remained to be seen.

"I can track his position, Sakura and I that is." Chiisi nodded to his cousin who responded in kind.

Both children of dueling elements closed their eyes. It didn't take only but a few seconds before they both declared. "Found him."

Five digivices, red, orange, blue, black, and white were raised high into the air, each one glowing with light of their respective colors. The light grew enveloping the double quintets, and then they were gone leaving not a trace of their existence.

Don Guil scratched his scaly chin. "That seemed almost anti climatic." Honestly he had expected the departure to be bigger, but it had been a long journey for them and the kids clearly wanted to finish and return to their own world. Still, he expected something triumphant.

A strangled gurgle ended his disappointment looking downward at the contents of his love's stomach.

"Pregnancy huh?" Don Guil shrugged and led his lover into the mansion.

XXX

The void, something that Chiisi and DemiDevimon had seen many a time. Sakura had been the recent viewer of its bleakness, while the others were joining in as well. Through the dark they moved unafraid of the unknown factor around them, for they had protection. Holding their digivices above them, the lights emanating from them formed a rainbow shield. The five colors orbited around the two pairs of five. Everyone's face was etched with seriousness knowing the dire situation at hand. The lights grew more intense just as the face of the humans.

**Gazimon!**

**Labramon!**

**Penguinmon!**

**DemiDevimon!**

**Fairydramon!**

**Jogress warp evolve!**

All five kids were drawn into their digimon, melding into a composite creation.

**KnightGenkimon!**

**Anubismon!**

**Crossmon!**

**VenomMyotismon!**

**Celestialdramon!**

The light barrier diminished severely, no longer being produced by the digivices. The mass of their joined bodies provided enough protection. The five megas stared upward ahead as the flight continued. Each of them held determined looks of success upon their faces, for this was a mission they could not fail.

"So where are we supposed to be going?" KnightGenkimon asked.

"_Beats me." _Kazuya responded from within.

"_Well what would a godly realm look like?" _Sakura asked as well.

"_Godly duh." _Jun quipped.

"_I think that's obvious." _Sho answered.

"Nice one Sho chan." Anubismon stuck her tongue out briefly towards Crossmon. Having no facial features, the bird couldn't convey his emotions. They didn't last for long as the bird had long gone past hurt feelings.

From inside her digimon, Jun couldn't help but smirk.

"Hey kid you feel it?" VenomMyotismon suddenly looked on ahead, Chiisi matching his partner's expression.

"_Yeah. The power of darkness."_

In a sudden gust the light ended and the five figures found themselves floating. The light disappeared leaving a brief moment of darkness around them. Quickly their eyes adjusted, more colors began to come in. Violet with indigo streamlines amidst an ebony backdrop. Awe entranced as their eyes were, they soon noticed the landscape below; if one could call it a landscape. Mist lay below them, a thick blanket cloud. A sound of thunder rang out as the clouds morphed into a cumulonimbus pattern.

"Freaky but effective." VenomMyotismon remarked in an impressed tone.

"I gotta admit it does have a sort of nightmarish vibe to it." KnightGenkimon concurred.

"This isn't supposed to be a good thing!" Celestialdramon snapped.

VenomMyotismon grunted irritably. KnightGenkimon merely blushed.

"Uh yeah right! Of course you're absolutely right!" KnightGenkimon covered up his earlier comment.

Sakura and Chiisi could see the world through their partner's eyes. Likewise their friends could as well, but they lacked the fine attune of the duel elements; those elements of course being light and darkness.

"_The air feels sick." _Sakura commented.

"_Don't you mean thick?"_Kazuya corrected.

Chiisi looked outward toward the horizon. _"No, she means sick." _Chiisi concurred with his cousin. _"Something's in it."_

The digimon stiffened their bodies, including the partners of the non light and and dark oriented children. The air held a particular scent to it. To the digimon, it felt sour but musky at the same time. Whatever the exact name of the smell would be, the very feeling of it made them uneasy.

"The bad smell." Anubismon whispered nervously.

Something jingled within their ears pounding lightly against their drums. Rasps of wispy undertone teased them. The lightness steadily grew higher in tempo, sounding out like a tribal war call.

"Lovely fragrance don't you think?"

The voice dread and dark came from nowhere. It held no source but it's master held a familiarity. In the distant darkness something big formed into view. A great beast with two lashing heads and a humanoid body atop it.

"Grandracmon!" The combined voices of the heroes announced the arrival of their enemy.

Grandracmon, the dark vampiric lord look among the assembled chosen. His eyes were a calm pool staring deep into the souls of the five merged children. A sigh parted from his lips, clean and pristine.

"I have envisioned this day for eons." Behind the faintness of the young voice, there was the growl. It echoed forth from the throat. "The ancient battle still resides within my mind." By battle, they knew he was referring to the war between him and Huanglongmon. "The bloodshed, the carnage, the cries of those who fell under my corrupting grasp." For emphasis a surge of darkness ebbed in his right palm, growing more illuminated with the clench of the fist. "And now it resumes again. But I never expected the Harmonious fools to have chosen you."

"Yeah yeah! We get it! Save the cliché villain speech!" KnightGenkimon stood ready with his muscles bared. Kazuya's influence clearly showed.

"Grandracmon!" Celestialdramon twirled her staff then pointed towards the demon beast. "You have upset the balance of this world for too long!"

"You hurt innocent digimon and tried to kill my Sho-chan!" Anubismon vehemently declared. "You poopy headed meanie...head!" Within her, Sho sweatdropped with embarrassment. Frankly, he would have chosen a better set of words.

"You stink up the darkness. It annoys me." VenomMyotismon grinned with a sadistic twist. The devil in him anticipated the prospect of fighting such an opponent.

Crossmon twisted his metallic neck in uncertainty. The dark lord was imposing in stature , and no matter what form the destined bird took, he would still be Penguinmon at heart. All that fear went aside when the sudden kick inside brought forth words. "Were going to kick your ass, mail it, have it returned to sender then rinse and repeat!" Jun's punch added some spice no doubt.

Speeches said and done, the children and digimon could feel a sense of victory. The heroes they had become stood ready to face the coming evil.

"Is that it?" Grandracmon crossed his arms tilting his head to the side like an uninterested teen.

"What do you mean "is that it"!?" KnightGenkimon fumed. "Didn't you listen to us!?"

Grandracmon cricked his neck while the two beast heads upon his body lolled their tongues out like a pair of lethargic hounds. Or hungry ones at the least, Anubismon could attest to that as her stomach grumbled, but that was not related to the matter at hand.

"That's what the Harmonious Ones proclaimed more or less." Grandracmon motioned with his hands. From out of nowhere materialized four colored orbs: an azure blue, a steely white, a fiery red, and a wooden brown. Within each orb shone an image respectively: a long serpent dragon, a great tiger, a Phoenix, and a turtle. Each image would press up against the orb's surface as if attempting to escape. The orb would pulse at the attempt and then rescind into the colored depths. "I didn't destroy them outright, no I decided to store them away for safekeeping." The demon beast orbited them around his being dancing and playing with them along his fingertips. "The pour souls believing they could live up to their creator, but were merely children playing God."

"Let them go!" Celestialdramon cried as she noticed Grandracmon's claws scratching the surface of the azure orb. KnightGenkimon likewise did the same for when the orb was scratched, the pair had felt a call of hope and light reaching out to them.

"They will watch as I tear this world apart, knowing there was nothing they could do to stop me." Grandramon ignored what he considered vermin, his voice aching longing.

"All right! I've heard about enough from this clown!" KnightGenkimon's voice rang, though with more of a hint towards Kazuya's.

Heaving his arm back, he fired a "beam lancet" towards Grandracmon. With precise precision, the beam landed on target sinking into Grandracmon's chest. While the rabbit knight was ecstatic over his strike, Grandracmon didn't seem the least bit affected.

"Hey jerk! I just hit you!" KnightGenkimon cried.

Grandracmon averted his attention from the orbs. Flicking his wrist the orbs returned back to the surrounding darkness. "Did you now?" Looking downward, there he saw it. "Well well, you did." With a grin, Grandracmon reached down wrapping his digits around the energy beam yanking it out effortlessly.

"W-W-what!?" KnightGenkimon couldn't believe his eyes; neither could anyone else for that matter.

"Heh, guess your throw needs more practice rabbit boy." VenomMyotismon snickered.

KnightGenkimon narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist. "Shut up bat boy." he muttered.

Another chuckled followed, coming from the demon. "It appears there is some dissent within your ranks." The sight was far too amusing to the embodiment of evil. "Very well, I shall allow you to proceed with your valorous attempts to halt me." he said spreading his arms out and broadening his chest. "So, come at me."

The five of them were dumbfounded. Their enemy actually wanted them to attack?

"_Sounds good to me!_" Jun's voice called from within her digimon.

Before he could protest, Crossmon moved with lightning speed as his metal body rammed into Grandracmon's. Continuously charging with his "kaiser phoenix" attack. Several more attempts but the demon didn't budge an inch.

"Mystic Break!" The beam of white light shone from the metal body burning into Grandracmon.

"Hey birdboy can't have all of the fun!" VenomMyotismon shouted. The vampire monster flew towards Grandracmon baring all of the eyes on his body in full fury.

"Venom Infusion!" The rainbow beams emitted forth from the eyes of every region, condensing into a single blast of energy. The energy bore another mark upon the demon beast.

"This is it Sho-chan!" Anubismon spoke with utter determination, clenching her large paw together.

Within his digimon, Sho could feel the energetic emotion coursing throughout their shared body. The villain before him was the strongest they had ever faced. In the past he would have been scared witless, but he wasn't that little boy anymore.

Eyes narrowed to near slits, he declared,_"Let's do this!"_

A short giggle followed Anubismon's flight, more indication of Labramon's personality having an effect.

"Pyramid Power!"

The pyramid shaped energy grew from the canine's raised arms, growing and surrounding Grandracmon. Soon as it was large enough, crackles of energy coursed through his body intensifying the attacks of VenomMyotismon and Crossmon. The only two left out were KnightGenkimon and Celestialdramon.

"Hey we can't let them have all the fun right?" KnightGenkimon asked his crush.

The dragoness stared ahead noticing her comrades fighting spirit. Everyone was giving it their all, the sadistic VenomMyotismon, the gluttonous Anubismon, and even the cowardly Crossmon. Clutching her staff to her heart, she silently prayed to whatever power controlled this world. But most of all she prayed for victory.

"_Don't worry, we'll win."_

Sakura's voice reassured the dragoness. "Thank you." She whispered. With driven eyes she knew what to do. "Our comrades are hogging your spotlight!" She winked to the rabbit with a grin.

KnightGenkimon felt a sudden heartbeat call him to attention. As spectacular as the battle was, he was still a man and a man had his needs. "I expect a big smooch when this is all over!" He chuckled.

Celestialdramon answered with a wink, "Well just see about that hentai rabbit."

Twirling her staff in a dramatic fashion, five balls of flame like energies formed around her "Star Fire!" Shouting her attack, the energy shot towards Grandracmon joining the other forms of attacks.

"That's my girl!" KnightGenkimon laughed. All he needed was a cigar to smoke and he would be happy. Brandishing his energy sword, he held it back as if he was ready to heave it. But the knight dove right into the pyramid energy of Anubismon's attack. The energy didn't effect him at all when he passed through, for it was reserved for evil digimon. Grandracmon's chest bared before him waiting. This was his chance now, he wouldn't ruin it; not when his sweet honey was watching.

"Radiant Knight!" KnightGenkimon shouted slashing and swishing his sword around in several x motions. The motions left glowing marks upon the creature's chest and with his attack finished, he relented with a self assured grin. They had all left their own marks, given their all, and shown their strength.

Grandracmon was done for.

"Was that all of your strength?"

The question took everyone by surprise. Their eyes veered upward the demon lord's face. The pale glow stared back down towards them, his red eyes burning through their bodies. If there was a physical feeling of being stared at, this would be it.

"Frankly I'm not impressed."

KnightGenkimon had a retort, the only one. The other's were too fixated upon the simple fact that their attacks bore no effect. The differing forms of energy had long dissipated; KnightGenkimon's being the last. Something rose within the air, a familiar scent that caused them all to tremble. VenomMyotismon wasn't an exception. The wind began to swirl blowing out of nowhere.

"I could prolong this "battle" with a grandiose speech, explaining how feeble you are." Grandracmon paused after he spoke, carefully considering what to say next. After a quick consideration, he grinned. "But I simply despise each and every one of you."

Instantly, the handsome visage of his human face contorted, twisting into a bestial grimace. The red iris's overtook the pupils with an angry sheen.

"Crystal Revolution!"

The gust grew into a hurricane with the spread of his wings. Holding out his palms, a ruby glow coated them before breaking off into a series of smaller fragments. The same glow coated his wings which also sent fragments. Everyone present tried to move, both human and digimon brains commanding their bodies; but they were too entranced by the color.

"Ouch!" Crossmon cried. The first fragment hit him shattering like glass.

It was apparent that this was no mere form of energy, it was crystals. The crystals shot like bullets pelting all they came into contact with. Their small size belied their power breaking through even the hardiest of armor. Though that wasn't the worst of their problems.

"I can't move!" Celestialdramon cried.

Looking down to her arm showed why. A thick coat of ruby crystal had started to form. Anywhere the ruby hit it would start to spread and grow like a creeping vine.

"Celestialdramon_/Sakura!"_ KnightGenkimon and Kazuya cried together.

Their cry went unheard as the dragon was now a complete crystal figurine. With an angry glint in his eye, KnightGenkimon opened his mouth to proclaim his rage, that is until a crystal covered his mouth. With a muffled protest, he objected as his body soon joined his love. The other three digimon followed in quick succession. Their voices hushed and their eyes frozen. It had dawned on each of them that they had stood no chance. Inside a darkness spread over their partners as their digimon's minds froze along with their body.

Grandracmon laughed at his new statues. Suspended in mid air they hung like little ornaments upon a Christmas tree. Victory was not yet won however. The beast heads opened up. Their tongues swathed amidst slobbering.

"Death Scream!"

Deep powerful wails screamed forth from the maws; their sound ear splitting to mortal ears. It was enough to cause one's eardrums to rupture. Something indeed did rupture.

_CRRICCKACCK!_

In rapid succession the statues cracked and shattered. Whatever thoughts the group had held were interrupted.

"Hmmm." Grandracmon put a hand to his chin, his face returning to its former calm visage, loosing all trace of the animalistic rage. "That was shorter than I expected."

And so it went that the Digital World entered a new age of darkness. All fell under Grandracmon's corrupting gaze as he spread his evil throughout every corner. The Human World lasted even less so. In the end, the Digidestined had failed. Evil had won.

That is unless this was a version edited by loyal Grandracmon groupies. Oh yes, this version of the story held some popularity in the "evil wishful thinking" section of a library, particular one belonging to a certain vampire overlord, but sadly that version long went out of print. No there was one detail that the evil version would not entail: the fact that amidst the rubble were five particular shards of glass.

If he wasn't so lost in his victory, Grandracmon would have noticed for a brief moment, they held a golden glow.

To be continued?...you bet!

Next chapter: Chapter 60, the final battle!

A/N: After nearly a year and a half of no updates, I finally do so. This took a really long time to write. Mainly a lack of interest was a key factor. It's hard to stay motivated when the digimon fandom isn't as big as it once was. I was also tapped on ideas. Writing battles is not easy. I was curious on how to end this chapter and the battle. then I remembered, the battle with Apocalymon was short. But hey, the Digidestined came back strong. Questions remain though: Are the Digidestined really dead? Will Gazimon ever smoke a cigar again? Just how big is Labramon's appetite? Will Sakura and Kazuya be a couple? What is with that strange gold glow? Find out in the next chapter!


End file.
